Oxford, Oxfordshire.
What was the client’s brief?
Our client’s brief was to breathe new life into their large and imposing 1920s family home. The existing house had a poor connection to the substantial but beautiful garden with most of the living spaces feeling dark and closed off from the gardens. The client was eager to bring a more contemporary feel to their home with open-plan living spaces where the family could come together and feel far more connected with the outside.
What did we do?
From the first visit to the property, we fell in love with the house’s lush gardens and wanted to bring them into all the spaces. The client was eager to introduce contemporary features and glazing solutions throughout the house to gently bring the design into the 21st century.
After carefully considering the client’s brief and use of their existing home we set out a plan of works that were split into two phases.
First, complete remodelling of the ground floor, to open up the rear of the house to the garden and create a natural flow through the living spaces. Upstairs, a new family bathroom was to be added and the master bedroom was to be remodelled with the creation of a new en-suite room. All the house windows were to be replaced, in keeping with the original design and new large windows to the rear to maximise views into the garden.
Phase two was to add a contemporary, timber clad side and rear extension, housing a spacious study, a private hideaway for the client.
What challenges did we need to overcome?
As the house has been the family home for many years, we focused on providing a solution that enabled the house to retain its character while fulfilling the brief of creating a contemporary home. We worked tirelessly on exploring various solutions that gently gave the 100-year-old home a more contemporary feel.
What was the finished result?
Working in partnership with the construction team at Stuart Barr CDR the end result is a transformed house with a contemporary open-plan kitchen living space with a bespoke exposed edge plywood kitchen by Barr Kitchens which flows into the dining space with Mondrian doors by IQ Glass bringing the garden into the house. The crittal theme stretched throughout the house, linking all internal spaces and establishing a connection between rooms.
The house benefited greatly from the replacement and addition of new windows, transforming dark and enclosed spaces like the staircase into stunning design features.
Upstairs, the new family bathroom boasts with luxurious marble flooring while providing ample space for the entire household. The master bedroom benefited from the addition of a window overlooking the garden with a cosy window seat for sitting and taking in the views.
Status: Complete
Renovations.
We’ve helped transform many wonderful living spaces through renovations and extensions over the years.
Whether you’re looking for a contemporary glass addition, a complete makeover for a period Victorian or Edwardian property, internal remodelling options for houses built more recently, or a complete restoration of a derelict building, we’ll be able to help.
Using our 3D design process, you can explore a range of alterations before embarking on the more detailed phase of your renovation or extension.
Listed Properties.
With our wealth of experience working on listed and heritage properties across London and the South East, HollandGreen has successfully negotiated consents with Local Authority Conservation Officers and with Historic England for a wide range of renovation and extension planning requests.
We work with Specialist Heritage Consultants, and Archaeologists to provide detailed assessments of historic buildings, and have gained approval for ambitious, but sympathetic alterations to properties of historic interest, including those Grade ii* which fall within the top 3% of protected properties in the UK.
New Builds.
For many people the prospect of building their own home is the ultimate dream. At HollandGreen, we’re proud of the fact that we have helped a number of people achieve this dream.
If you are fortunate enough to have a plot of land that has the potential to be built on, or a house that you would like to knock down and start again with a blank piece of paper, we’d love to help.
We can advise on likely planning implications to help establish the feasibility of your project. Our exciting design journey will help you navigate through planning, choosing your builder, and delivering your dream new home.
Barn Conversions.
Barn conversions offer the perfect opportunity to create a unique countryside home, packed with character. At HollandGreen, we’ve had extensive experience in converting existing agricultural buildings into residential dwellings, in accordance to the recent changes to ‘Class Q’ Permitted Development Rights.
From traditional listed stone walled buildings with slate roofing, to more modern metal clad farm sheds for the modern, industrial look, you can create perfect country living with all mod cons. What a great opportunity to create a one-off family home that’s sympathetic to its rural setting, and generally larger in volume and scale than a modern build.
Conservation Areas.
Many properties fall within locations specified as a Conservation Area or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and we have specific experience working with planning departments across London, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.
Please do get in touch if you have any specific questions around what can be possible within a Conservation Area, even if you are just at the early stage of purchasing the property.
Luxury Basements & Pools.
If you’re battling to add space to your property, creating a basement storey can provide the perfect option to add significant living space, without having to move.
With basements closer to the main living areas than lofts, there is greater flexibility in terms of use, from home cinemas, wine cellars and playrooms, to office spaces, personal gyms and swimming pools.
To find out whether adding a basement to your property will add value to your house, we recommend seeking advice from your local estate agents. Talk to us about Permitted Development Rights, as basement extensions are often possible, if a cellar space already exists.
Luxury Kitchens & Lofts.
The way people use their living space is changing. We find that for most of our clients, the kitchen is now the hub of the modern home, and we’re proud that we’ve become known for our inventive and aspirational kitchen extensions.
We’ve helped hundreds of home owners across London and the South East create open, bright and contemporary kitchen living spaces that combine cooking, dining and living within one social and inviting area.
We’re also known for our carefully considered, aesthetically pleasing loft extensions that both increase living space and add a wonderful new aspect to your home.
- Renovations
- Listed Properties
- New Builds
- Barn Conversions
- Conservation Areas
- Luxury Basements & Pools
- Luxury Kitchens & Lofts