bringing the outside in

hove, east sussex

This home is a perfect example of what drives the ‘don’t move, improve’ movement. It was a good family home at its core but was a little uninteresting both to look at and to live in. Our clients weren’t crazy about the existing brick and concrete tiling on the exterior. Internally, the home needed a stronger connection to the garden, a renovated kitchen and generally revamped bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs.

After some exploration, we decided to render the existing brick walls and replace the concrete tiling with locally coppiced sweet chestnut cladding for a lighter, warmer and more welcoming feeling. White through-colour render saved both time and money, as it doesn’t need painting.

After some exploration, we decided to render the existing brick walls and replace the concrete tiling with locally coppiced sweet chestnut cladding for a lighter, warmer and more welcoming feeling. White through-colour render saved both time and money, as it doesn’t need painting. Large high-performance sliding/folding doors and the carefully detailed flooring transition between the interior and the exterior bring the outside into the home (see first photo). With the sliding doors wide open, the garden effectively becomes an extension on the living area. A small gable extension with a Juliet balcony enlarged the small rear bedroom to provide a more open and airy feel. We replaced an existing clunky skylight with a new thin-framed landscape unit.

Frosted sliding doors can close the living room off from the kitchen area when needed (say the kids are watching a movie and the parents are entertaining friends), while still allowing light to pass through. The bright kitchen enjoys generous views of the garden. Playful pops of colour complement the predominantly white interior. A tidy and efficient office with lots of storage keeps messes at bay. Contemporary and classic black and white bathrooms are a refreshing change from the previous look. Several years after the original refurbishment we returned to this project and designed a master suite makeover too.

By taking a careful and holistic look at this family’s goals, we were able to create a home that feels right.