residence have restricted the amendments to 7 lindsay avenue to enhance and repair the original and character of this typical, handsome edwardian home

no extensions have been proposed as we feel the manchester bay window and mature garden are features to be embraced

adding floor area is not always essential to providing an improved home to your family, using the existing space more effectively will be the most cost effective and often most beautiful solution

our design leans heavily on bespoke joinery and simple well considered design moves, your budget may just about stretch to providing an extension but there may not be much left for fixtures and fittings; by spending money on the joinery and quality finishes we believe you can have a home you love and will last for a lifetime

at the start of each project we ask our clients to answer a few questions about their project (what you want, where you want it, why you want it and what your budget is)

we also ask you to send us a video of the site and potentially give us some key dimensions

the client sent us video footage of the areas they wished us to explore along with the following brief:

what do you want to do?

“renovate the kitchen and knock through to the dining room in order to potentially create more defined play and rest areas

at the moment there is one large living space in which we do everything; children play, we all eat, adults socialise and rest and having everything in one room can be overwhelming

potentially also create a better connection with the garden because at the moment this is accessed awkwardly at the end of the kitchen, we love our garden so it would be great to be able to enjoy this even in the typical Manchester weather”

where do you want to do it?

“the rear of the house - where the kitchen and dining area are, as well as the windows / doors to the back garden, we have been thinking about whether it is worth it to extend”

why do you want to do it?

“we have young children so our shared space has to be really flexible, which it currently isn’t, because it’s one big room

we don’t want to close it off, as we love the light in that room, but we do want to be able to separate activities a bit more

the kitchen being in a separate room makes it difficult to watch the children and cook / clean at the same time”

what is your budget?

“£15,000”

firstly, the rear ‘manchester’ bay window - reframe and glaze window with timber framed opening doors this way we are moving garden access out of the space starved kitchen and defining this area as an intimate sun room

under the stair - dividing this space into as much usable storage as possible will allow us to remove the dividing wall and units between the kitchen and dining room

an elegant efficient solution will turn the stair and kitchen into a single piece of joinery a character filled feature of the house

removing the kitchen wall creates a kitchen and dining space suitable for entertaining, dining and perhaps most importantly happy parenting

introducing sliding pocket-doors to the existing opening will allow the sitting room to be closed off from the kitchen diner when required

open plan space is good for maximising light and space, however it is important to allow division within family homes for different activities to take place at the same time without interruption

the existing garden access door is replaced with a full height window, views through the house into the garden are good for forging connections between the home and garden - a view of the garden from the front door is a welcoming, green presence when arriving home

the client asked for the initial site analysis as well as this further iterative work in order to look more closely at storage options:

the space under the stairs, which currently holds two large cupboards can be used to create more efficient storage which can free-up space within the rooms for living / playing / reading / cooking or socialising

this can be done - and done very well - with bespoke joinery, which can be designed by an architect and discussed with a skilled joiner

on the other end of the scale, a more affordable, but maybe less space-efficient option might be to use standard kitchen units under the stairs surrounded by a matching panel, so that you have a clean aesthetic, but more affordable joinery

a third option suggests modifying existing kitchen units providing a bespoke solution, but with a more affordable foundation

this solution begins with four units readily available from high street kitchen manufacturers, and then chamfers the corner on 3 of these units to maximise space and give a more bespoke aesthetic

a further storage unit is proposed to sit against the existing wall between the dining and living room, this wall currently contains a large opening connecting the two rooms

the new storage unit conceals two pocket doors ensuring that the rooms can be separated, but retain the existing connection if required

we suggest a combination of open storage to display some items and joinery in keeping with the kitchen to allow flexibility of use and a differentiation between separate areas of the room

the prevailing design concept is that you can create a family room which offers space for everyone

space for each family member to carry out their different activities in comfort, whilst also making the most of the beautiful period features of the house, and the aspect of the south-facing garden

because the room is full of efficient storage, you are able to feel the benefit of a sun-drenched seating area without the need to extend out of the back of the house

extending can be costly and you lose original features in both the manchester bay window and the brick out-house in the garden

the document received by the client contained an analysis of the existing site as well as sketches of the proposal

following this the client commissioned more in-depth analysis of the type and layout of the joinery

further sketches were also created at the clients request in order to share the idea with friends and family