Pound Lane, Canterbury
Pound Lane is a lovely traditional Victorian terraced property, which had been owned by the same family for over 75 years, so when our clients purchased the house it was in need of serious modernisation. The brief was 'modern but with traditional accents'.... the clients were refurbishing the house as a holiday-let, so it had to be practical, spacious, and warm. We kept a lot of the original features, such as the fireplace, pine floorboards, and all the doors in the house are the original, we had them stripped back (of decades of paint work) to the bare pine which was then treated. Originally the house had 3 bedrooms and one family bathroom - the house now has 4 bedrooms, thanks to a loft extension, and 3 bathrooms, plus a downstairs WC - as a holiday let, it easily sleeps 10-12, which was an important factor to the clients.
To achieve that sense of space and openness, we created a small kitchen extension, which now becomes a kitchen-diner, and the whole living area is open plan - however you have the option of closing off one half of the living room, to become a snug, with pocket doors.
An interesting design feature within the kitchen is a glass cube seating area jutting out into the garden, which compliments the new glazed roof in the dining area within the kitchen. By using bi-folding doors, it really opens the kitchen out into the garden, on to a patio area, creating a functional socialising area!
The garden has been truly modernised, with an added patio and decked area, along with practical artificial grass meaning it stays clean and smart all year round.
We added a loft extension on to the property, which really utilises all the space in the terraced house - it has a very luxurious feel thanks to a cast iron bath, situated in the dormer window - with the added treat of being able to see Canterbury Cathedral whilst having a soak!
When looking at the house from the outside, you really don't realise just quite how much space has been utilised, resulting in a wonderful, bright, interesting period home.