knowles street

s t  a l b a n s  | c h r i s t c h u r c h  

This 1920s villa had been extended piecemeal over the years, leaving the rear living, dining, kitchen and pantry disconnected from each other. With the kitchen facing south-east and starved of light, and little link to the large garden beyond, the brief was clear: open it up, brighten it up, and connect it to the outdoors — all as the final piece of the build before the house went to market. 

a b o u t   t h e   p r o j e c t

Small in scope but sharp in focus: the old laundry and WC were reworked into a combined scullery and laundry, new structure and rafters made way for large skylights on the lower roof, and tired services and old kitchen fittings were stripped out to make room for a full new kitchen — all achieved as a Consent Exemption despite the structural work involved.

The approach stayed simple and sympathetic to the existing house. Posts came out, beams went in, freeing up the kitchen and clearing out the pokey, underused corners. Old rear doors were swapped for wide bifolding doors, and two large skylights flooded the back of the house with light.

The result is clean, modern, and unmistakably brighter — a kitchen that finally flows into the garden, with the tired, dated details that typically knock resale value firmly designed out.