Architect Shuahra Rahman from Pride Road Sutton and Kingston recently worked on a detached property in Godalming, Surrey. Built in 1956, the property’s layout was inefficient and impractical, with limited storage and a small, dark kitchen.
To create a more open and practical living space, with a focus on the beautiful view in front of the property, the clients approached Shuahra to reconfigure their home and future-proof it.
During a full day workshop, Shuahra presented three options for the ground and first floors.
Option 1 squared off the hallway, with the living room on one side and the office on the other. A large open-plan living, dining, and kitchen space was created in the middle of the house, with a utility room and bathroom located in the darker areas of the house. Inclusion of large bifold doors and windows allowed as much light as possible into the open space.
Option 2 moved the bathroom so that it was off the hallway, creating a larger open space with a longer kitchen and a utility in the darker area of the house. Double doors into the open space from the hallway allowed a nice view from the front to the garden via the window ahead. The dining area with fitted seating was located near the stairs.
Option 3 explored moving the kitchen to the front of the house with a utility behind it, retaining the living space facing the garden with large doors and windows allowing as much light in as possible. The bathroom was located off the landing.
On the first floor, options 2 and 3 included a dormer at the front, giving much more space and enabling a seating area in the bedroom space and larger walk-in wardrobes and en-suites.
The clients were thrilled with the designs. At the follow-up meeting, the clients chose a variation of the first option for the ground floor, with a few clever modifications to give the illusion of a larger space i.e the wall between the utility room and kitchen was removed so the kitchen appeared larger than it was, and a nook was added under the stairs. The living space was also opened up, with the wall between the hallway and living room being removed. Upstairs, velux balcony system rooflights were explored to give the space additional room and light without having to build a dormer.
The workshop was a great, affordable way to really start to visualise our plans and the steps to move forward with our vision. Shuahra was very friendly and took on board everything we were thinking and gave us good advice. Not only was it therapeutic watching her draw out plans in front of us, but we were involved with every step. Highly recommend Shuahra and the design workshop concept.
Hayley
With Shuahra's expert guidance, this detached property in Godalming is on its way to being transformed into a beautiful, practical, and future-proof home.
"It was a pleasure to work with this couple in Godalming. Our goal was to create a more functional and efficient layout while maintaining the character and charm of this detached property. The final design was a collaboration between their needs and my expertise, and I'm thrilled that they're happy with the result."
Pride Road
