Frog Castle
Frog Castle is a grand period property, built
in 1860 and situated in the heart of Alderley
Edge, Cheshire. The clients' brief was to
create additional living space in the form
of a contemporary extension, including
remodelling parts of the existing house
and a basement conversion. The basement
now accommodates a games room, cinema
room, wine room and ancillary spaces.
The original house, both inside and out,
has many stunning period features, so any
intervention had to be given the utmost
detailed consideration. The clients were keen
for the interiors to seamlessly coordinate
with the architecture, and as such, appointed
Scott Donald Architecture (SDA) for interior
design. It was clear from the start of the
relationship that the clients had a keen eye
for detail, and given our passion and drive for
detail design, SDA relished the opportunity.
The clients’ aspiration for the extension
was essentially a glass box. They were keen
for the extension to contrast with the solid,
brick aesthetic of the original house and for
6 - www.refurbandrestore.co.uk
it to take advantage of the private gardens,
both front and rear. This was achieved by an
'open-ended' concept, with tall (3.2m) sliding
walls of glass to both ends. Rooflights over
the glazing creates additional drama and
allows light to penetrate throughout the day.
A 'structureless' corner and pocket sliding
glass doors creates an expansive opening to
the rear garden. The clients were also keen
to make a feature of the stone wall which
ran along the boundary of the site. It was
important that the interior spaces could see
and ‘interact' with this stone wall.
Though there was some heavy structural
intervention to achieve the design, it was
crucial that the extension respected the
original house. Thus, the new extension sits
against the gable of the house, but does
not detract from it’s grand presence - it is
subservient and respectful of the original
house. It is this same concept that was
applied to the interior design when dealing
with the transition of original and new
spaces. Considered attention was paid to
allow a smooth, almost unnoticed, flow
from traditional period into contemporary.
Floor finishes, architrave / skirting details
and lighting were some of the elements
considered in this ‘ transition'.
Though the interior style is undoubtedly
contemporary and somewhat minimal, SDA
were keen not to compromise on practicality.
This was achieved through clever design of
hidden storage throughout the house. The
rear entrance hall was designed to contain
storage behind the wall. The same wall has a
hidden door to wc which allows the space to
be open to the hall, providing additional light
and views to the garden whilst maintaining
the clean lines of the adjacent oak feature
wall.
Similarly, in the dining space, SDA designed
a bespoke feature storage wall with feature
display recesses. The back panels of these
recesses are pitted bronze, which create an
interesting feature when lit from above. This
custom-designed storage wall defines the
dining area.