West Bridgford House

This two-storey house is estimated to have been built in the 1950s, with a single storey extension added to the rear in the 1970s.

Our initial brief was to consider whether the property could be reconfigured to provide the kind of contemporary family accommodation that the owners required.

We proposed to reorganise the ground floor space to create a more open feel, to bring more light into the centre of the house and to create better connections between the key living spaces and the garden.

Our first decision was to turn the house around, making the ‘back’ door the ‘front’ door and creating a better entrance to the house with a more generous hallway.

From this, a new garden room extension on the south elevation of the house links the living space to the kitchen, which has been brought forward in plan. This provides a view and direct access to the large garden from the principal rooms and brings light into the previously dark kitchen and ground floor hallway.

Finally, a reconfigured staircase and first floor hallway completely opens up the house vertically, from the ground floor to the roof. A new large dormer rooflight allows more light into the house, transforming the interior and giving a new lease of life to the property.