Design Buy Build Issue 39 2019 | Page 53

WHAT WAS THE BRIEF? As a large family home, sat on a generous secluded plot, the owners of Simonswood were finding it increasingly frustrating that their property was struggling to gain interest from potential buyers when they decided to try and sell up and move on. Having carried out a number of cosmetic alterations and upgrades internally, the overriding opinion of would-be-buyers was that the property lacked a striking first impression, or wow-factor that a property of this size would need. The main heart of the house, the kitchen, was also the least desirable space given the dark and confined feeling created by large structural elements – probably a result of a series of independent developments carried out over some years. The brief demanded a clever approach to improving the external appearance, bringing a more modern and contemporary feel to the property, and improve the main kitchen and dining area within a budget that made the investment commercially viable, given the clients’ main plans for the property. 53