Houzz Tour: A Newly Built Family Home Overlooking Bristol
A thoughtfully designed, simply furnished home brings in plenty of light while making the most of its great location
With a property in such a privileged location – on top of a hill overlooking Bristol’s city centre – architect Tom Russell knew it was worth taking the time to work out how best to develop the site. He and his family of four lived in the property, an 1870s cottage, for 18 months while deciding whether to demolish it and build new, or try to renovate it. ‘We wanted to gradually feel our way around and discover the lie of the land,’ he says. ‘It’s an extraordinary site with spectacular views and we wanted to get it right.’ Tom decided to retain most of the old cottage, just demolishing an extension, and build a new house adjacent to the property. The cottage itself is still awaiting renovation.
One of the major challenges of the build was negotiating access. ‘Because it’s in an urban area and behind high walls, there was no vehicular access and we ended up having to take down part of the boundary wall,’ Tom explains. Negotiating planning was also tricky, as Tom wanted to be careful not to restrict the views from any neighbouring properties.
‘The key ambitions of the project were to make the most of the site, views and orientation, and create something that was energy efficient,’ explains the architect. Every bedroom and living space was designed to look out onto the view, while all of the functional spaces are on the north side of the building.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here Architect Tom Russell and his family
Location Bristol
Size 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Architect Tom Russell of Emmett Russell Architects
One of the major challenges of the build was negotiating access. ‘Because it’s in an urban area and behind high walls, there was no vehicular access and we ended up having to take down part of the boundary wall,’ Tom explains. Negotiating planning was also tricky, as Tom wanted to be careful not to restrict the views from any neighbouring properties.
‘The key ambitions of the project were to make the most of the site, views and orientation, and create something that was energy efficient,’ explains the architect. Every bedroom and living space was designed to look out onto the view, while all of the functional spaces are on the north side of the building.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here Architect Tom Russell and his family
Location Bristol
Size 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Architect Tom Russell of Emmett Russell Architects
‘It was important that this was a very light space,’ Tom explains. He went for simple surfaces that pick up the light. ‘It’s interesting, because the light changes throughout the day,’ he adds.
The floor is polished concrete, which is good at holding heat – crucial for the underfloor heating, and also for absorbing heat from the sun and radiating it back into the room throughout the evening.
While the house is not a certified passive house, it is built using many of the same strategies. ‘It’s very airtight and was designed to ensure there are no leakages,’ Tom explains. ‘There’s a ventilation heat recovery system and the windows are triple glazed,’ he adds. There’s no heating upstairs as it’s unnecessary, and the underfloor heating downstairs is only needed on occasion.
The floor is polished concrete, which is good at holding heat – crucial for the underfloor heating, and also for absorbing heat from the sun and radiating it back into the room throughout the evening.
While the house is not a certified passive house, it is built using many of the same strategies. ‘It’s very airtight and was designed to ensure there are no leakages,’ Tom explains. ‘There’s a ventilation heat recovery system and the windows are triple glazed,’ he adds. There’s no heating upstairs as it’s unnecessary, and the underfloor heating downstairs is only needed on occasion.
The space where the new build stands was mostly garden before, though there was an extension, now demolished. ‘We tried to create two external spaces,’ Tom says. ‘There’s the external courtyard, which is high-walled and shady, and the opposite side, which opens up onto views of the city.’ It’s almost as though the house has two totally different sides to it, which gives it a character few properties can match.
For the interior, Tom wanted to create a natural feel that nods to Scandinavian style. The relationship between kitchen, dining room and living area is highly functional, and one that Tom was able to decide on with confidence after working on various open-plan projects previously. ‘It’s very efficient in terms of how the spaces are laid out,’ he says, ‘so it feels very natural.’
The kitchen is a Howdens carcass to which Tom added birch-faced plywood doors, and a Formica worktop with an exposed ply edge. A kitchen island connects the area to the rest of the living space. ‘We like cooking, and the island layout works really well – it allows you to be sociable, and everyone tends to gather around it,’ he says.
Walls painted in Burmese Beige, Dulux.
The kitchen is a Howdens carcass to which Tom added birch-faced plywood doors, and a Formica worktop with an exposed ply edge. A kitchen island connects the area to the rest of the living space. ‘We like cooking, and the island layout works really well – it allows you to be sociable, and everyone tends to gather around it,’ he says.
Walls painted in Burmese Beige, Dulux.
The ash dining table came with the family from their previous home. To create a laid-back, effortless feel, they decided to have a mix of dining chairs that include some inherited 1960s designs.
Tom has worked hard to include depth and texture in the simple scheme. ‘It was very important that the ceiling wasn’t just a flat plane – a lot of effort went into designing it in order to expose the joists, with timber boarding laid on top.’ The ceiling was painted a light grey to complement the polished concrete floor and furniture. The Caravaggio pendant lights hang down and break up the sightlines nicely.
Caravaggio pendant lights, Lightyears.
Tom has worked hard to include depth and texture in the simple scheme. ‘It was very important that the ceiling wasn’t just a flat plane – a lot of effort went into designing it in order to expose the joists, with timber boarding laid on top.’ The ceiling was painted a light grey to complement the polished concrete floor and furniture. The Caravaggio pendant lights hang down and break up the sightlines nicely.
Caravaggio pendant lights, Lightyears.
Outside, timber cladding is stained grey in keeping with the interior of the home. ‘It worked well with the rest of the property,’ Tom says. ‘It’s a very natural, breathable construction, and we wanted it to feel like part of the garden.’ The timber also distinguishes this side of the house from the northern walled courtyard.
The veranda serves two purposes. It’s an area that links the garden to the house and is a lovely place to sit, and it also provides shade to protect the living area from the sun. ‘It’s on one level a social thing, but with so much glass facing south, the room has the potential to get quite hot,’ Tom explains.
The veranda serves two purposes. It’s an area that links the garden to the house and is a lovely place to sit, and it also provides shade to protect the living area from the sun. ‘It’s on one level a social thing, but with so much glass facing south, the room has the potential to get quite hot,’ Tom explains.
Next to the main living area is a smaller snug, to which the family can escape for some peace and quiet. The wood burner sits on a concrete bench that Tom had made specially. ‘In many homes, there’s a sense that the fireplace has been replaced by a TV, and if you have both there’s always a little bit of competition, so this bench was a way to accommodate both of these in a comfortable way,’ he explains.
The jute rug continues the natural feel of the whole home, and warms up the concrete floor and bench.
Wood burner, Rais. Rug, Ikea.
Check out how to integrate a fireplace into your living room
The jute rug continues the natural feel of the whole home, and warms up the concrete floor and bench.
Wood burner, Rais. Rug, Ikea.
Check out how to integrate a fireplace into your living room
The flue from the wood-burning stove runs up through the master bedroom. Tom chose not to cover it, as it adds both visual interest and allows some of the warmth from the wood burner to disseminate into the bedroom.
Tom designed the wardrobes himself and had them installed. They are MDF painted in Dulux Burmese Beige, the same colour used throughout much of the home.
Tom designed the wardrobes himself and had them installed. They are MDF painted in Dulux Burmese Beige, the same colour used throughout much of the home.
Both of the kids’ rooms have mezzanine levels where the youngsters sleep. The hammock here hangs down from the underside of the mezzanine, which is accessed by steps to the side. The flooring in here is recycled oak.
The shape of the roof was dictated by the need to not block the neighbour’s views. ‘The eaves of the house had to be quite low, so it was important to open up the full roof slope to make the most of the height,’ Tom explains. ‘That was the starting point of the design.’
Shelving, Ikea.
The shape of the roof was dictated by the need to not block the neighbour’s views. ‘The eaves of the house had to be quite low, so it was important to open up the full roof slope to make the most of the height,’ Tom explains. ‘That was the starting point of the design.’
Shelving, Ikea.
The whole pattern of the house is that the support spaces, such as the bathrooms, staircase and utility room, are on the north, courtyard side of the house, so all the living spaces can benefit from the wonderful view on the south side.
As in the rest of the house, the family chose to keep the colour scheme fairly neutral in this bathroom. A large mirror spans one wall, making the room feel large, and a skylight further helps to keep it bright and airy.
Bath, Bette.
As in the rest of the house, the family chose to keep the colour scheme fairly neutral in this bathroom. A large mirror spans one wall, making the room feel large, and a skylight further helps to keep it bright and airy.
Bath, Bette.
The home is at the end of a cul-de-sac on a cobbled Georgian street, with a small door opening into a walled courtyard. It’s sort of a secret garden, and the front door comes off the courtyard.
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TELL US…
What do you think of this hand-crafted home in Bristol? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Tom and his family wanted to create an open-plan living space that would be at the heart of the action. ‘Having a room where everyone cooks and eats is something many families try for these days,’ he says. This is a space where the whole family can relax, cook, eat and watch films together.
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