The Plans

We have now been living in the house for over two months and in that time we have got used to its peculiarities, idiosyncrasies and had a feel of each room.

I think it's quite important to live in a space first before making any major changes, as once you make a change it can be expensive and difficult to rectify. The bathroom upstairs for example is bathed in sunlight and warmth when it's sunny whilst the spare bedroom is dark and cold. There was no place to hang coats and leave shoes as you walk in to the house without cluttering up the hallway and the lighting throughout the house was badly designed.

I started drawing my plans for the house early on to see how the various rooms could work for us. We wanted, above all, an open plan kitchen/diner/family area. This is where I see myself spending most of my time and so it had to be just right. Even now in our dark kitchen this is where you'll find me tapping away at my computer. We also wanted to maximise the sunlight coming into the house and to be able to use these rooms to maximum advantage. By the time we appointed an architect we had already worked out our plans. But as they say, two heads are better than one and David of Andooi Design suggested we put in a luxurious master bedroom with a dressing area and en suite. This did mean sacrificing a double bedroom but by converting the loft we would gain two further bedrooms which would make the house a four bedroom property.