Work in Progress Update

Last April I blogged on a project that was in progress, you can see it here, it was a renovation that involved gutting of the whole interior of a maisonette with a small extension, an extra bedroom.

This type of project takes a brave soul who can  live with upheaval for several months. The renovation of Suzanne Noble's home, founder of frugl.com,was written up in Metro, the newspaper everyone reads on the London Tube last month. In this report of the result of the changes to this maisonette Susanne emphasizes the importance of using an architect and interior designer.

After finding the flat through an estate agent online, she employed Simon Miller, an architect who has helped her in previous renovations. Simon worked out a plan for the flat that increased the space by reconfiguring walls, adding windows and a small extension to the side. It is a home full of light and space. My work with Suzanne and Simon was adding the color schemes, textiles, lighting plan, etc. 

To quote Suzanne: " Anyone considering an un-modernised place, make sure you get a good architect and interior designer. Thankfully I had both." 

I couldn't agree more, the value of her property has doubled. Plus she has a home that suits her and her needs and is very pleasant to be in. Architects and designers make a difference.

Call me if you want to renovate.

Living with Building an Extension

We see the results of renovations and extensions often, the lovely styled rooms all painted and pretty. Design Sponge posts regularly before and after photos of projects. But we don't see much of the process, the rubble and dust, the build site, the months of living in upheaval, the stress on families and relationships.

Since February there is a project that I have helped on the planning and design of an extension and new kitchen. Each month goes by and each step an achievement. Last week the kitchen was installed.

 This was the original kitchen, with the stove and the sink separated, the fridge around the corner, little surface for preparation, it was inefficient and unpleasant to work in. The building is a 1950's home built for military families. It is a solid piece of architecture, rooms with enough space and a window in each room. So it has good bones. It was efficient at the time for the way people lived then, but today with our preference for open plan for gathering of friends and family it became too congested.

We began the project with several discussions of how best to use the space, to make it more efficient, bring in more light and more accessible to the large garden.

Staying in budget was essential, so dashed were plans of going for planning permission. We worked within the limits of an extension of 3m x 3m, anything over meant we would have to apply for permission and would take that much longer and extend the costs.

It was a building extension of recycling and reusing, keeping the existing utility space, thoroughly insulating it, replacing and enlarging the doorway directly onto the garden. Reusing the windows which were replaced by doors helped stay in budget. Then adding the kitchen extension next to it with a glass roof. Changing a window to French doors leading from the living room to the garden helped to make the space flow and link to the outside.

When the back exterior wall was taken down after the extension with a glass roof was built, you can see how open plan makes a more agreeable space. But you also see the upheaval a family has to live with, for example all the kitchen equipment and food supplies have to be moved. You wind up living out of boxes when you are still feeding a family.

Just after the kitchen was installed, my builder, the best builder in the world, sent these photos:

Using an Ikea kitchen with hard wood Iroko worktops kept us in budget. Still lots more to do, finish the painting, install the lighting, the flooring, then the styling.... stay tuned!

Work in Progress

This month I have seen some real progress on a project in Hampstead, with a cracking team of builders, working with a very creative architect, and best, a great client, a home is coming together and will be a great place to live. A warm, comfortable house, a kitchen for good cooking, a well lighted place and very important energy efficient.

Progress photos, to me they look fabulous:

The new door to the garden, but leaving the original shutters

The view across to the stairs, not yet installed. A thought to have a panel of glass to have a view through to the stairs.

The steel beams holding up the building after removal of load bearing wall.

The downstairs where we drew on the floor the placement of bathrooms, closet, bedrooms. It was fun and brought back the experience of drawing houses in the sand on the beach as a kid. But this was no tropical climate, the build site was freezing.

An exciting project that has been progressing all winter, in a few weeks after the first fix of electrics and plumbing, the kitchen and bathrooms will be installed.... to be updated....

Progress

A few weeks ago I shared and posted some very beautiful and intriguing photos by Ellen Silverman about the Cuban Kitchen. There were several reasons I shared those photos. One reason was I was in the midst of deconstructing the kitchen in my flat. With the tiles pulled off, the old wallpaper stripped off, the condiments, pots and pans and bowls of fruit were put elsewhere, all stripped to the bones of the building we began rebuilding.

First a wall was removed and the entrance made wider, bringing in lots more light and sense of spaciousness. As my dear friend says, more civilized.

Layers of old paint was exposed when the tiles and wall paper were removed,  with the yellow ochre paint, patches of plaster and concrete it resembled the Cuban Kitchens in the photo essay.

With progress, a new floor, walls skimmed, old surfaces and cabinets removed, it has begun to look more pleasing. Still much to do, boxing in some pipes, paint the ceiling and walls and finding new places for the essentials of daily cooking.

 Yes much more to do, but looking so much better and cleaner. I will update after I paint it.