- FIRST FLOOR EXTENSION -

The owners of this 1990s house had a clear idea of where they wanted to extend, but were less certain about how the new first-floor accommodation should be arranged. With the form of the extension largely defined by the footprint below, the design challenge was to make the internal space feel considered, comfortable and more generous in experience—not simply larger.

During the early design stages, we encouraged the clients to explore a wider range of possibilities than they had initially imagined. Rather than allowing the extension to become a single cavernous bedroom, the available area was carefully divided to create a complete principal suite comprising a spacious bedroom, en-suite and separate dressing room.

Equal attention was given to the journey from the existing house into the new accommodation. Reconfiguring parts of the first floor avoided an awkwardly long corridor and established a greater sense of privacy around the principal suite. A deliberate sequence of generous, more enclosed and then open spaces creates a natural transition between old and new, making the experience of moving through the house feel more varied and inviting.

The reconfiguration also improved the existing first-floor layout, helping the house work more effectively for family life now and in the future. Careful consideration of proportion, circulation and spatial character allowed the project to offer the clients much more than an additional bedroom: it created a calm and cohesive suite that feels fully integrated with the rest of the home.

Note: Images are proposed renders. Construction is scheduled end 2026