COTTAGE IN LINDFIELD, MID SUSSEX

Our clients came to us after downsizing from a large established family home to a smaller semi-detached house in South London.  

The brief was not to extend the footprint of the new house to match that of the previous but instead to capture the same essence of their previous home in terms of space, natural light and important sight lines and views of their garden.

A new ground floor extension was built on the side of the house at the front, to form a new large entrance vestibule.  As this was built on the party wall boundary there were no real opportunities for traditional windows, so the whole space is lit by a single linear roof light, washing the space in beautiful natural light whilst keeping it completely private from the neighbours.   

The ground floor was then completely gutted and a previous dilapidated extension rebuilt in order to create 2 singular spaces, one for living and one for cooking and eating connected via a large unobstructed opening.  A carefully placed external courtyard sits between these 2 spaces, allowing natural light to enter into the centre of the 2 internal spaces whilst also providing an opportunity for a view of a garden in the centre of the house.  The ground floor has no corridors or circulation spaces.  

The rest of the house was refurbished along with an extension on the second floor in order to create dedicated spaces for the clients to explore their interests in the arts and travel whilst also having enough space for their large family to stay throughout the year.