Newtown House

An old Semi-detached in a Heritage Conservation Area, botched by a 1990’s addition that left the rear of the house cramped and disorganised. After living there for many years we finally tackled the re-think.
A conscious decision was made not to build up one storey, the additional space was just not necessary and too expensive. Similarly sketch options to insert a small third bedroom/study were dismissed in favour of optimising the rear of the house. Being in a Heritage zone the front two bedrooms had to be retained, which worked well for us. The rest of the house was completely re-vamped within the existing footprint.

A new bathroom sits well behind the second bedroom. It is generously lit and ventilated by a new large louvre window. The bathtub is sunken in the available sub-floor space (and insulated underneath), and covered by a hinged industrial fibre reinforced grate, lifted up when a bath is desired. At other times the shower is level with the floor, not only convenient, but also, together with the placement of the toilet in between laundry and storage joinery, creating a generous feel to the small bathroom, helped by the ability to slide the lightweight and translucent shower screen completely out of the way.
The walls are sheeted with stone veneer, real stone on glass fibre, only a few mm thick and, importantly, without any grout joins.

The remainder of the house is one big space, supported by two slender steel beams, exposed and highlighted. Various existing level changes have been corrected, and heavily insulated while we were at it, to leave just one larger step, happily delineating a large sunken living area.
The kitchen is generously laid out, interwoven with varied shelving and storage options. A large dining table forms the focus of the kitchen dining space, while a tall and wide, yet shallow, cabinet provides ample pantry space along the corridor wall.
Great attention was given to the material selection and detailing. The dark oak floor forms a visible caesura between old and new, setting the tone for a rich colour palette. All joinery is sprayed in a matt warm brownish grey we had used in several projects before and always loved. Protagonist in the Bathroom is the above mentioned stone veneer by Axolotl, richly textured and coloured while only a few mm thick.
Main player in the Kitchen is the “rainforest” stone from India, horizontal on benchtops, vertical on waterfall ends and splashbacks.
The cooktop is induction, under the stone, so not visible and not reducing bench space.

Lighting is all low-key (ie Zigbee) smart controlled. Originally not desired, but made necessary by dimming requirements for some of the lamps the control options are now seen as a great bonus. Mini magnetic tracks run along the steel beams, all but invisible when not in use, yet allowing enormously flexible lighting options.
There is no air conditioning, a personal preference, but various operable louvre options in combination with fans, allowing for natural, and slightly helped, ventilation at all times. New high performance windows and high levels of rook and floor insulation create a comfortable climate year in year out, supported by an in-wall fireplace, for feel and for warmth.