CFP

Architects

Designers

Project: Combining two houses into one, Ealing

The brief:

The clients loved the location of their home, but were looking for additional bedroom, garden and office space. Rather than move to a larger house with all the associated costs and disruption, they purchased the house next door. The two houses needed to be joined together to work as one seamless home, with the option of returning the building into two separate houses in the future.

The solution:

The houses were combined as one single house by the simplest and least disruptive means possible; two connecting doors, one glass door on the ground floor between the dinning areas and the other between the 2 front bedrooms on the first floor. The structural fabric of the buildings otherwise remained untouched, and the two houses could be separated again very easily if necessary.

A new kitchen extension at the rear of the original property allowed as much light as possible into the kitchen and dining room through the use of large folding, sliding glass doors. The doors give a wonderful visual connection to the garden. The new property presented a particular challenge, as it was several steps higher than the original property; use was made of this to define the separate areas. The house now has a spacious and airy feel, with lots of flexibility.

A loft conversion was carried out in the new house, to provide a shower room and office/bedroom. A balcony was introduced, running across the two houses, visually linking them both inside and out.

Choice of colour played an important part in the project, using unusual and complementary tones on accent walls to provide cohesion. The same central pendant lights were used throughout the ground floor, bringing the whole family area together.  With small children in the house, high quality sheet flooring was selected for the kitchen for practical purposes, as it is easy to keep clean. Oak floors run throughout the new family room and halls, which are both hard wearing and warm.