Throughout, the architectural designers modernised the interiors while embracing and elevating their historic character by crafting contemporary elements that integrate sympathetically with original features of the house.
The main entry hall was a narrow space set apart from the living spaces that offered no storage and was dominated by an unused staircase to the rental vestibule below.
Plus, the entrance from this hall to the living and dining areas was small and awkwardly located, creating a choke-point at the stairs and interrupting the spatial flow of the house.
To overcome these challenges, Civilivn opened the hall to the kitchen, relocated and enlarged the entrance to the living and dining space, and closed in the unused staircase to the lower level.
By removing the partition between the hall and the kitchen, the redesign introduces a circulation spine that runs the length of the home and creates uninterrupted views from the front door to the rear garden, making for a more open and cohesive space.
In place of the staircase, Civilivn added a continuous storage wall of linoleum-clad millwork with custom walnut pulls that accommodates shoes, coats, sports equipment, cleaning supplies, small appliances, and a pull-out pantry.