This beautiful old cottage is situated in the Leicestershire countryside, it is as pretty as it is quaint. But despite its pros, it has the similar problems as all cottages that we come across; low ceilings, small windows, very contained and not much light. The brief for this project was to create space in the kitchen and increase light throughout the ground floor.

To complement the existing house, a flat-roofed design was chosen – as with all projects, it is essential that the new build is sympathetic to the existing, and a flat roof design sits well and doesn’t impose on its surroundings. We also ensured our stonework complimented and colour matched the ‘random coursing’ stonework of the existing cottage to further aid the transition between old and new.

Because of the low ceilings, we decided to put two atriums into the flat roof to really maximise as much natural light as possible. To further increase this, the large windows in the extension enable light to flood into the rest of the house. 

Cottages are known for having unusual layouts, and this one doesn’t disappoint. We love its unique kitchen which has been cleverly designed to maximise space by wrapping around the supporting pillar to the main house. This blends the kitchen and extension to create a seamless living/entertainment area.

Cozy cottages are no problem during Englands long dark winters, but during the summer our client wanted to take advantage of the beautiful sunny weather, so we put in a set of oak french doors which allow easy access to the garden and bring the outside in!

We think this extension really opens up the ground floor, allowing the living room, kitchen, dining room and garden to melt into one another – breathing new life into an old cottage.