Houzz Tour: A New Layout Connects a 1930s Home With the Garden
By designing a low-level extension, an architect gave these homeowners much easier access to their outdoor space
When a garden is on a lower level than its adjoining property, it can be tricky to find a connection between the inside and outside. This was indeed an issue for the family who live in this 1930s semi-detached house: the lovely big garden felt distant, as they had to go down quite a few steps to reach it.
A solution was needed for this, as well as for updating the tired interior and opening up the divided layout. The owners found architect Trevor Brown after browsing for pros on websites including Houzz, and he came up with some clever ideas for creating a home that feels fresh, open and comfortable while bringing the outdoors in.
A solution was needed for this, as well as for updating the tired interior and opening up the divided layout. The owners found architect Trevor Brown after browsing for pros on websites including Houzz, and he came up with some clever ideas for creating a home that feels fresh, open and comfortable while bringing the outdoors in.
As soon as you enter the hallway, you can see how the home’s new layout brings the garden much closer to the indoors. The entrance is completely open to the rear extension, so the large windows at the back of the house are immediately visible.
A sunken extension was key to connecting the inside with the garden. “Fortunately, there were already really deep foundations,” Trevor says. “We could take advantage of these by building the extension lower without having to do any underpinning.”
By lowering the open-plan kitchen and living space, the family can now access the garden much more easily. A patio is on the same level as the house, while just a few steps lead down to the rest of the garden.
Brushed French Grey UV Oiled Oak flooring, The Solid Wood Flooring Company.
A sunken extension was key to connecting the inside with the garden. “Fortunately, there were already really deep foundations,” Trevor says. “We could take advantage of these by building the extension lower without having to do any underpinning.”
By lowering the open-plan kitchen and living space, the family can now access the garden much more easily. A patio is on the same level as the house, while just a few steps lead down to the rest of the garden.
Brushed French Grey UV Oiled Oak flooring, The Solid Wood Flooring Company.
Here’s a plan of the ground floor, showing the new open layout.
Easily find and hire architects and garden designers on Houzz.
Easily find and hire architects and garden designers on Houzz.
To ensure an uninterrupted connection from the front to the back of the house while still complying with building regulations, Trevor built a box frame structure and concealed a fire curtain in a recess at the top.
“Usually, you’d have something like a door or pocket door, but these are more seamless,” he says. “They’re often used in shopping centres and industrial buildings, but their residential use is emerging.”
The existing staircase was updated by the build team with some beautifully crafted woodwork and metalwork.
They also created balustrades for the stairs leading down to the extension. “We broke up the metalwork here by blocking some of it in,” Trevor says. “The white, half-height walls add some solidity to contrast with the metal balustrades.”
“Usually, you’d have something like a door or pocket door, but these are more seamless,” he says. “They’re often used in shopping centres and industrial buildings, but their residential use is emerging.”
The existing staircase was updated by the build team with some beautifully crafted woodwork and metalwork.
They also created balustrades for the stairs leading down to the extension. “We broke up the metalwork here by blocking some of it in,” Trevor says. “The white, half-height walls add some solidity to contrast with the metal balustrades.”
The kitchen is tucked into the corner of the open-plan space, while a long island and attached breakfast bar extend into the centre of the room.
This slice of the kitchen-diner was part of the original house, so the ceiling is high compared to the lowered floor. “The fantastic height meant we could have lovely pendants that hang the proper length,” Trevor says.
A skilled joiner made floor-to-ceiling cabinetry in the kitchen, which continues into the living area to accommodate the TV. “We were originally going to use walnut for these, but as this type of wood is temperamental, we used oak and stained it to look like walnut,” Trevor says.
The white cabinets above are ideal for stowing away infrequently used items.
Pendants, Absolute Co.
This slice of the kitchen-diner was part of the original house, so the ceiling is high compared to the lowered floor. “The fantastic height meant we could have lovely pendants that hang the proper length,” Trevor says.
A skilled joiner made floor-to-ceiling cabinetry in the kitchen, which continues into the living area to accommodate the TV. “We were originally going to use walnut for these, but as this type of wood is temperamental, we used oak and stained it to look like walnut,” Trevor says.
The white cabinets above are ideal for stowing away infrequently used items.
Pendants, Absolute Co.
While the kitchen side of the island features drawers in the same wood as elsewhere, the dining side has been clad with a sintered stone that resembles marble.
Island cladding, Neolith.
Island cladding, Neolith.
Between the integrated fridge-freezer and the oven unit is a useful breakfast cupboard, with sockets for small appliances and LED lighting.
An L-shaped sofa is located right next to the sliding patio doors, and Trevor installed a circular rooflight above. “A circle means the furniture below doesn’t have to be aligned as much, and when the sun catches it, it sends crescent-shaped sun paths around the room,” he says.
Trevor advised his clients to keep the nearest patio clear of furniture to avoid an interrupted view, and instead incorporated flowerbeds to bring the garden right up to the house.
Sliding doors, Perfect Crystal Windows.
Trevor advised his clients to keep the nearest patio clear of furniture to avoid an interrupted view, and instead incorporated flowerbeds to bring the garden right up to the house.
Sliding doors, Perfect Crystal Windows.
The dining area features a bespoke dresser made from the same wood as the kitchen cabinets but left unstained. The lighter oak tones well with the breakfast bar and provides a contrast to the kitchen and TV media unit.
At the front of the house, there’s a more formal living room with a darker colour scheme. “The clients wanted to use bold surfaces in their house, so this was the perfect room to incorporate them,” Trevor says.
Sumptuous gold velvet sofas contrast with the purple-black walls and ceiling. “We curved the cornice to make an infinity corner, which helps the room to feel more enclosed,” Trevor says.
Walls painted in Paean Black, Farrow & Ball.
Sumptuous gold velvet sofas contrast with the purple-black walls and ceiling. “We curved the cornice to make an infinity corner, which helps the room to feel more enclosed,” Trevor says.
Walls painted in Paean Black, Farrow & Ball.
There’s also a boot room on the ground floor. “I’m a big advocate of boot rooms, particularly when there are kids in the house,” Trevor says.
He incorporated plenty of closed storage in here to make it easy for the family to stow everything away. The bold green colour scheme and gold-coloured sink provide striking visual impact from the hallway.
Cabinets painted in Hunter Dunn, Paint & Paper Library. Undermount sink, Franke.
He incorporated plenty of closed storage in here to make it easy for the family to stow everything away. The bold green colour scheme and gold-coloured sink provide striking visual impact from the hallway.
Cabinets painted in Hunter Dunn, Paint & Paper Library. Undermount sink, Franke.
Another staircase leads up from the first floor to the loft conversion. This was originally located directly above the main staircase, but Trevor wanted the latter to have its own space. He moved the upper floor staircase below the dormer and gave it a contemporary look to contrast with the more ornate balustrades downstairs.
Lano carpet, Boheme.
Lano carpet, Boheme.
This plan shows the layout of the first floor, with a large suite at the rear, and a bedroom, en suite bathroom and utility room at the front.
A long dressing room corridor with a picture window at the end separates the main bedroom from its en suite bathroom.
“It means one member of the couple can get dressed and use the bathroom without disturbing the other,” Trevor says.
“It means one member of the couple can get dressed and use the bathroom without disturbing the other,” Trevor says.
The bedroom benefits from a view out of sliding doors that open up to a glass Juliet balcony.
“We chose rich, cosy colours in here and painted the ceiling darker to create a sense of enclosure,” Trevor says.
Walls painted in French Gray; ceiling in Card Room Green, both Farrow & Ball.
“We chose rich, cosy colours in here and painted the ceiling darker to create a sense of enclosure,” Trevor says.
Walls painted in French Gray; ceiling in Card Room Green, both Farrow & Ball.
On the other side of the dressing room corridor is the en suite, again with a sliding door and glass Juliet balcony.
A wide vanity unit and freestanding bath are positioned nearest the door, while a shower is tucked away in the corner. The loo is concealed behind a false wall, out of view in this shot.
Italian 4-drawer (reeded) vanity unit, Parker & Howley. Picasso freestanding stone bath, Lusso Stone. Piazza Amber matt porcelain wall and floor tiles, Mandarin Stone. Katakana tiles above vanity unit, Claybrook.
More: How to Plan for a Bathroom Renovation
A wide vanity unit and freestanding bath are positioned nearest the door, while a shower is tucked away in the corner. The loo is concealed behind a false wall, out of view in this shot.
Italian 4-drawer (reeded) vanity unit, Parker & Howley. Picasso freestanding stone bath, Lusso Stone. Piazza Amber matt porcelain wall and floor tiles, Mandarin Stone. Katakana tiles above vanity unit, Claybrook.
More: How to Plan for a Bathroom Renovation
The laundry room is also upstairs. “Generally, if we can, we’ll ask clients to consider putting the laundry area where the bedrooms are,” Trevor says. “There’s also enough room in here for an ironing board.”
The exterior view shows how the house now connects brilliantly to the garden. It’s the perfect layout for socialising and, in fact, shortly after the project was finished, Trevor’s clients sent him a photo of a family party they’d held in their newly renovated house, which was finished three months before the 12-month planned deadline. “They love their new home,” he says.
Tell us…
What do you like about this open, sociable home? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Tell us…
What do you like about this open, sociable home? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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Who lives here? A professional couple with two boys
Location Muswell Hill, north London
Property A 1930s semi-detached house
Size Five bedrooms and four bathrooms
Architect Trevor Brown of Trevor Brown Architects
Builders CR Building Contractors
Joinery Gatehouse Furniture
Photos by Darren Chung
The original hallway of this 1930s home was dark and enclosed, so Trevor made the doorway as wide as possible with two glazed panels to bring plenty of light into the space.