The house has an unusual layout with a central, winding stair and split levels. In addition to creating a full basement for a library and studio, we built out the attic into a guest room and added an extension, which sits in what is a rich and fantastically deep garden with shed, forest of birch trees and trampoline.

Our approach to the rear extension was to create a spacious room for the kitchen and dining with a strong connection to the garden by way of timber sliding-folding doors. We resisted the prevalent architectural approach of a contemporary cube and instead pursued a space with pitched roof and exposed trusses with material textures both internally and externally. Taking advantage of the half-level split from the main house, we exaggerated the separation of the kitchen - a space in the garden to be discovered.