The brief for this family home was to form a larger well-lit kitchen and dining area in proportion with the accommodation of the existing house and taking advantage of the southerly aspect.

The existing estate house made no use of the attractive characteristics of the site, having its service functions (utility and WC) on the south side and its fenestration on an east-west axis, ignoring the scope for south-facing light.

The new extension which houses the kitchen was located at right angles to the main house to maximise the impact of the south facing glazing and views across the open countryside. Large areas of glazing and bi-fold doors lead onto a large patio, allowing the family both inside and outside dining.

The existing ground floor plan was partially mirrored to move services to the more northern side and living spaces to the southern side to enjoy both sunlight and views of open fields. At the same time, circulation throughout the ground floor was rationalised and reordered to provide a more direct route and views through the house into the new kitchen extension.

Externally, the kitchen extension is clad in zinc; a modern contrast to the orange bricks of the existing house whereas the extension at first floor uses a material palette to match the existing, with new grey windows tying the existing and new together.

Alterations at first floor include a rear extension along with reordering the existing accommodation, providing four good sized double bedrooms. The family bathroom was relocated into the smallest of the existing bedrooms and the master en-suite relocated in order to free up space over the main entrance hallway below, creating a new impressive double height stairwell.

The success of the alterations within the main part of the house lies in this stairwell, with the implementation of larger windows to the front elevation and glazed balustrading, along with the client’s choice of reflective light fitting; flooding the new open stairwell with natural light.