Ed & Krystelle's Story
'Helen had come highly recommended to us by previous clients and we had seen the skill and care that she had put in to their renovation. We wanted a space which was modern but which was also sensitive to some of the wonderful original features that the house had. Helen was able to quickly understand our brief and helped us navigate all of the many decisions that need to be made when conducting a major renovation. Helen took the time to get to know us and was therefore able to translate our needs and wants perfectly in to the design whilst gently pushing us to make bolder and braver decisions. Our confidence in her allowed us to create a more beautiful home than we had thought was possible.
Due to the extent of the works we were not living on site, but we were confident that Helen was always in total control of the project management and we were fully consulted at every stage. Helen’s contacts with local businesses in the area also made the process of finding things such as the glazing and kitchen simple. Helen has an obsessive eye for detail which has ultimately given us a house which is not only practical and comfortable to live in, but also perfect from every angle'.
Photographs by Adelina Iliev
Rear extension and refurbishment to a detached 1930's home in Beckenham
Dream kitchen for avid cooks Ed and Krystelle and the mass amount of cookery books they own.
Project brief
Ed and Krystelle took on quite the challenge with this project. It is fair to say the existing house was in poor condition and had been neglected for several decades prior to their purchase. Originally we looked at retaining the existing footprint whilst creating an open plan kitchen and dining room at the rear but the space still felt inadequate and small for the rest of the scale of the house. Ed and Krystelle wanted to be in keeping with the existing 1930's house and loved the existing bay window feature and wanted to keep it within the extended design.
Location:
Beckenham- London
Contractor:
Tracos Building Services
Structural Engineers:
Quorum Consulting Engineers
Party Wall Surveyor:
Tracos Building Services
Kitchen Supplier:
PAD Kitchens
Photographer:
Adelina Iliev
Design
The internal works included a utility off the kitchen, opening up the rear to create an open plan kitchen, living and dining room and reconfiguring the upstairs bathroom to create one cohesive design. The original bay window at the rear provided an aesthetic feature and, more importantly, flooded the internal space with natural light. This was something we chose not just to keep but emphasise, using it to set out the parameters for the rear extension to the kitchen. Instead of a flat roof, we took inspiration from the dormers at the front of the house to bring in a pitched roof and create a cathedral-like internal space. The roof lights then flood the kitchen with natural light. The outdoor retaining wall suspends a timber bench along its length for get togethers that can flow through the glass doors. Close collaboration with the builder resulted in perfect details that complete a sense of order and spaciousness yet harmony with the original building.