Bronte House

This project was the renovation of a 1970s built Klinker brick home. As you can see from the original photos this was a house built in a very particular style with a bulky peaked roof and angular balconies and facades. As the existing house had very sold bones of concrete and brick, it was pointless to demolish and start again. So, we utilised the existing structure of external and structural walls and floors to wrap our new vision around the existing structure. Stripping out the heavy looking angular balconies and facades, we replaced them with square, blunt, modern angles to the building's exterior presence. By opening up all the doors and windows and increasing the size of openings, we allowed more light to flood the inside spaces. Underpinning the side of the house allowed us to create a much more accessible and elegant entry to the house. The rear of the building was opened up through the second level by a vaulted ceiling with skylights and a timber panelled ceiling, giving more volume and beautiful light to the upstairs interiors. A sleek aqua pool was added at the rear, adjacent to the kitchen living areas, providing a pleasing relaxed outlook for the family. The rear garden was also landscaped to provide a sense of seclusion and privacy from the adjoining properties. A large commanding steel and timber pergola was added to the rear of the house to give the second storey master bedroom retreat both shading and privacy from neighbours. All this work was undertaken whilst the owners, two children and two dogs were living on the property. The owner wanted to be very involved at all stages with the design and changes were made as the existing building evolved and revealed itself. This collaboration helped give the house the most modern and contemporary of looks. The result was a delight to us all. Completed: 2018 Photography: Simon Wood Photography