The Story of our Chelsea Arts & Crafts House

The background story of a beautiful home with perfectly balanced design details

The Brief

Our clients wanted us to breathe new life into this house by extending the back of the house at ground floor level to bring the indoor and outdoor areas together. They wanted a streamlined layout throughout the whole home, making best use of all the available space and creating a beautiful family space. At the same time, as it is in a Conservation Area, we all wanted to respect and maintain the original elegance and proportions of the house.

The Original Home

The house is late 19th Century Arts & Crafts, the period of art and design which was influenced by William Morris. Our clients wanted to update the home, whilst necessarily keeping its original ‘personality’ but making it work for them and their young children.  

The Starting Position

From the start of the project, we knew that planning limitations relating to Conservation Area requirements meant that we could not extend upwards so anything we would do regarding creating extra space would have to be accommodated within the rear ground floor area and large garden. The main thrust of the redesign would be to create a large, everyday-use family space at the back of the house, and to link that with a transformed terrace and a garden studio. 

The Design Details

Our clients were keen to get involved with the minutiae of design details, and we worked closely with them to create thoughtful and innovative bespoke joinery throughout the home. They wanted streamlined storage that would accommodate all their requirements and which would adapt to their family needs as the children grew up. With the input and collaboration of interior designer Juliette Byrne, the resulting combinations of materials, textures, colours and fabrics created a contemporary, welcoming and calming look throughout. 

The Added Spaces

There was extensive reconfiguration of floor plans throughout the house. The aim was to have bedrooms and bathrooms more conveniently positioned, to maximise the floorspace and to make the flow of the entire house more efficient. The hub of the household was the ground floor extension, which encompassed a new kitchen, a relaxing family area and also a spacious dining area. This extension opened onto the newly designed terrace and garden. Thankfully the garden was large enough to accommodate the extension without detriment, and we were able to include a garden studio as well.

The End Result

We maximised all the internal spaces very successfully, providing three bedrooms on the second floor and a generously-sized master bedroom, dressing room and study for the first floor. This transformation gave our clients a logical layout, plentiful storage space and of course, the stunning ground floor kitchen extension, with convenient access and beautiful views of the garden.