Extension and refurbishment of Victorian Family Home

CLIENT

Private

LOCATION

Dublin 4

SIZE

3800 sq. ft

STATUS

Complete

This project involved the refurbishment and extension of a beautiful Victorian house in Dublin. The house had an unusual plan and section in that there is a return within the back of the house resulting in all the rear rooms opening to the garden on one side bring very low. Access to the rear was by way of a narrow corridor down the side the main stairs and there was no sense of the amazing back garden. It’s northern aspect also meant that the garden rooms were dark with the main light to the front. The young family who moved in wanted a house that was light filled , robust with a mix of old and contemporary with room to grow and change as the family did. They loved the garden and space but they felt that the house had almost turned its back on the site.

When re- planning the layout- our main move was to connect the the well proportioned rooms to the front back to the garden from the minute you walk through in to the hall. Entry to the new living spaces to the rear is through the bay windowed front room which opens down into two glass pavilions on the garden side. We used the generous width of the site to create a new courtyard on the south east side to bring light into the kitchen and living spaces as you move through front to back. The family living area and dining room open out onto the garden and catch afternoon evening light as well as south light and a glimpse  of the majestic front oak tree from a high clerestory window. A series of other new windows catch unexpected views and light around the house- to the rear of the hall and out onto the new courtyard.

We left the main house layout largely intact and refurbished the original features and rooms as we found them.  The materials in the new extension are pared back to high narrow steel glazing and black steel cladding on both volumes. These are all about the view and height. Internally the palette is modern with a emphasis on  natural  materials such as terrazzo and oak.
We chose everything from the kitchen, bathrooms, furniture, bespoke built in joinery, lighting down to the art and the planting.
Everything was considered from the outset on how it would fit in the house and allow each space to flow from the new to the old. The look is contemporary but period features are showcased as an integral part of the overall aesthetic.