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My Houzz: Ingenious Space Planning Updates a Family’s 1930s Home
Thoughtful design added a downstairs cloakroom, a utility cupboard and some rather clever loft storage
Translator Vanessa and her partner, Nicholas, didn’t waste any time when it came to their house renovation. Shortly after the family returned from three years of living in Colombia, they decided it was the perfect time to give their 1930s home a makeover.
“Our stuff was either in storage or in transit, so we thought we might as well get the work done before we moved back in,” Vanessa says. “We arrived home in August, found an architect and a builder, and the work began in October.”
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“Our stuff was either in storage or in transit, so we thought we might as well get the work done before we moved back in,” Vanessa says. “We arrived home in August, found an architect and a builder, and the work began in October.”
This article is from our Most Popular stories file
The dining room was extended into this patio area.
From the garden, you can see how the dining area extension has created a flush wall at the back of the ground floor. The protruding kitchen and the bathroom above were already in place.
The exterior wall was originally where this steel beam is now. The build team added a rooflight above the extended area and the couple asked for the new wall to be left exposed. The bricks have been painted white to tie in with the rest of the room, but the texture is still prominent.
A couple of windows at the end of the galley layout were replaced by one larger window.
Alongside, are wide bifold doors, which ensure the new open-plan space feels connected to the garden.
Window dressings, Loom & Last.
Window dressings, Loom & Last.
Every inch of space was maximised in the kitchen, with wall units that go right up to the ceiling to increase storage. These also help to make the room appear taller.
“Our architect planned in an island with storage below for the kids’ art supplies,” Vanessa says. “He lined everything up really nicely so we were able to have a neat line between the wooden floor and the patterned kitchen floor tiles [see first image].”
Kitchen cabinets; quartz worktop, New Line Kitchen Design. Cabinets painted in Pavilion Gray; island in Down Pipe, both Farrow & Ball. Antique Brass Finish Single Handle Swivel kitchen tap, UK Taps.
“Our architect planned in an island with storage below for the kids’ art supplies,” Vanessa says. “He lined everything up really nicely so we were able to have a neat line between the wooden floor and the patterned kitchen floor tiles [see first image].”
Kitchen cabinets; quartz worktop, New Line Kitchen Design. Cabinets painted in Pavilion Gray; island in Down Pipe, both Farrow & Ball. Antique Brass Finish Single Handle Swivel kitchen tap, UK Taps.
Go came up with a clever idea for adding a cloakroom. Rather than squeezing it below the stairs, he fitted it into the front section of the original kitchen. The room can be accessed from the hallway, and it’s divided from the cooking space by a bank of floor-to-ceiling units.
“The tall cabinets are the depth of a standard unit and contain an integrated fridge, two ovens and loads of pull-out storage drawers,” Vanessa says.
Pendant lights, Buster & Punch. Patterned floor tiles, Fired Earth. Wooden flooring, Wood and Beyond. Dining table, John Lewis & Partners. DSR Eames plastic side chairs, Aram Store. Walls painted in Brilliant White, Dulux.
“The tall cabinets are the depth of a standard unit and contain an integrated fridge, two ovens and loads of pull-out storage drawers,” Vanessa says.
Pendant lights, Buster & Punch. Patterned floor tiles, Fired Earth. Wooden flooring, Wood and Beyond. Dining table, John Lewis & Partners. DSR Eames plastic side chairs, Aram Store. Walls painted in Brilliant White, Dulux.
Shallow kitchen cabinets with glazed units above have been positioned alongside the dining table to form a ‘dresser’. The front is aligned with the island and the floor to continue the balanced look of the room.
Jack and the building team at Ajax created a wide opening between the dining room and living room. “They installed a sliding pocket door, which we can close if we want to separate the two rooms,” Vanessa says. “They also built this shelving unit to fit the measurements of our things.”
The door to the hall was closed up, but the couple decided to leave a glazed area to let in light. “We found this at a reclamation shop,” Vanessa says. “It’s from an office block that was built in the same decade as the house.”
Sofa, Sofa Workshop. Vintage window, Retrouvius. Walls painted in Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball.
Sofa, Sofa Workshop. Vintage window, Retrouvius. Walls painted in Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball.
Apart from pendants in the kitchen and dining room, Vanessa wanted simple downlights in all the rooms. “I wanted everything to be quite clean,” she says. “We have loads of wall lights and lamps to add a cosy atmosphere.”
The couple chose to fill in the alcoves in the dining room to make the space more functional. This meant there was no need for the original fireplace, so they moved it into the living room instead.
The couple chose to fill in the alcoves in the dining room to make the space more functional. This meant there was no need for the original fireplace, so they moved it into the living room instead.
The door to the old galley kitchen used to be at the end of the hallway. It’s now a space-saving pocket door that leads to the downstairs cloakroom.
Vanessa chose the same metro tiles and worktop for the bathrooms as in the kitchen. This gives a cohesive look to the house, but Vanessa says, “It was really to avoid having to make too many choices.”
Walls painted in Stiffkey Blue, Farrow & Ball. Treviso Narrow countertop basin, Click Basin.
Walls painted in Stiffkey Blue, Farrow & Ball. Treviso Narrow countertop basin, Click Basin.
To create space for a utility cupboard, the bathroom wall was moved back. “That was my idea,” says Vanessa. “The bathroom is smaller than it was, but it’s provided space for a boiler cupboard and a cabinet for stacking the washing machine and dryer.”
The family’s laundry goes from bedroom to washing machine now, without having to be brought downstairs.
The couple swapped a freestanding bath for a fitted one as it uses the space better. “You couldn’t get round the sides to clean it, and there was loads of wasted space around it,” Vanessa says.
The room also had two windows, as it had previously been a separate loo and bathroom. The builders removed these and fitted a new one instead.
Neisha Crosland flooring, Harvey Maria. Sanitaryware, UK Bathroom Store. Towels, BathEmpire.
The room also had two windows, as it had previously been a separate loo and bathroom. The builders removed these and fitted a new one instead.
Neisha Crosland flooring, Harvey Maria. Sanitaryware, UK Bathroom Store. Towels, BathEmpire.
Here’s how the bathroom looked before its makeover.
Anâis’s bedroom is above the dining room and used to have a chimney breast in the centre of the wall. This was removed, leaving space for bunk beds and a desk.
Bunk beds, Warren Evans.
Bunk beds, Warren Evans.
In Nathaniel’s room, the chimney is still in place. “We hired a joiner to build a desk and shelving in the alcove,” Vanessa says.
Bed, Time4Sleep. Fireplace wall painted in Gotham City, Valspar.
Bed, Time4Sleep. Fireplace wall painted in Gotham City, Valspar.
The joiner also built a desk area in the front study. “I work from home, but there’s desk space for both of us to sit side-by-side,” Vanessa says. “At the end of the desk is a lower section where the printer sits.”
The master bedroom is upstairs in the converted loft. A large window with a glass Juliet balcony provides panoramic views of the city.
“The architect suggested not having Velux windows on the street side and going for a large rooflight over the bed instead,” Vanessa says.
Pendant lights, Lombok. Throw, Graham & Green. Bed, Warren Evans.
“The architect suggested not having Velux windows on the street side and going for a large rooflight over the bed instead,” Vanessa says.
Pendant lights, Lombok. Throw, Graham & Green. Bed, Warren Evans.
Rather than accommodating windows, the space at the front of the loft is used for storage. There’s a row of wardrobes and drawers at the front, while two doors either side provide walk-in access to a large space at the back of the eaves. The couple can store all sorts of large items in this space, and can easily get in and out.
The bedroom leads through to an en suite with a skylight overhead, which makes the space feel open and bright.
A large walk-in shower is at the back of the room, alongside a floor-to-ceiling opaque window that brings in additional light.
Flooring, Fired Earth. Sanitaryware, Victoria Plumb.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite idea from this cleverly planned home? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Flooring, Fired Earth. Sanitaryware, Victoria Plumb.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite idea from this cleverly planned home? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
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Who lives here? Vanessa and Nicholas with their children, Nathaniel (13) and Anâis (10)
Location South London
Property A 1930s terraced house
Size Three bedrooms (plus one used as a study) and two bathrooms
Architect Go Sugimoto of Go / Crafting Spaces
Builder Jack Horn of Ajax Builders
Photos by Chris Snook
“There were three main things we asked our architect, Go Sugimoto, to include in the plans,” Vanessa says of her renovation project. “To fill in the L-shaped kitchen and dining room, to squeeze in a downstairs loo, and to have only one door into the ground floor living areas.”
To open up the L-shaped room, Go planned for an extension at the end of the dining room.