HOME + GARDEN
THE COTTAGE by Hollaway Studio CONT .
Why did you decide to embark on this project ?
I ’ m often asked by clients ; ‘ what would you do ?’, ‘ how would you design this house if it was your own ?’ And so , after many years of designing houses for clients , I decided that we would extend our own home .
How was the location for the Cottage property chosen ?
We had lived in The Cottage for 6 years before deciding to extend . The location was perfect for us , it is close to my studio and not too far from the girls ’ school . When you live in a house before you extend you really learn to understand the property ; its orientation , its quiet spaces , what to keep and , more importantly , what doesn ’ t work . I think the best extensions we have done are the ones where the clients have had the opportunity to live in the property before they extend and have really understood it , it is then my job to really listen carefully to their needs and their learnt knowledge of the property .
What was the property development objective ?
I will always ask a client to create a pin board and an outline brief , but really drawings and the design becomes the brief , because it is much easier to change a drawing at those early stages than change your mind during construction .
At the Cottage we wanted to keep the character of the old cottage but have all the benefits which modern architecture can bring . The challenge was to bring the old and the new together ; how do you keep the quintessential cottage character but at the same time practically triple the size of the house ?
What was the design process for The Cottage ?
We began by designing and drawing , understanding what might be achievable in terms of planning ; the more sympathetic and sustainable your design is the more likely the planners are going to approve your scheme . Being sympathetic doesn ’ t necessarily mean traditional in design , the architecture can still be sympathetic and contemporary and this can be achieved by careful consideration of scale , form and materiality . When starting the build , the best advice I can give is to find yourself a good builder , someone who you can work with and that will be passionate and share in your vision . When it comes to your own house , quality is everything , and therefore the cheapest builder might not always be the best answer .
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