Ed and Katie’s terraced home in Levenshulme is in need of an internal reconfiguration and redesign to welcome a new addition to the family. The property, as it stands, is compact and dark with Ed and Katie hankering after more light and storage, having lived in the property for the past year and realising both its faults and potential.
Also high on Katie and Ed’s wish list is an open, user-friendly kitchen, better views, an improved outdoor area and a different reconfiguration so that they can use and enjoy the overall space better.
Keen to get started right away, the couple turned to Magda at Pride Road to explore ways in which the existing footprint could be enhanced and its full potential realised. Magda carried out one of her prized Concept Design Workshops to review the layout and how this could be changed to improve the family’s domestic experience.
The ground floor currently boasts a narrow hallway and staircase that leads straight to the upstairs bedrooms. There is a also a front living room, dining area and rear kitchen.
The couple were especially keen to redesign the kitchen and other downstairs rooms to create a family friendly space where everyone can sit down and relax together, while also giving way to additional storage to cope with the rigours of a newborn baby.
With a tight budget attached to this project, an extension was quickly dismissed as an option with improved lighting options and knocking through existing walls rapidly standing out as prime solutions.
First off all, we designed a galley kitchen and closed off access to the staircase from there, instead opening it up from the home’s other rooms so that it would be more easy and comfortable to use.
We then increased light to the kitchen with a large window overlooking the patio. This would introduce a strong visual connection between the indoor and outdoor spaces, meaning the family would be able to enjoy lovely views while preparing meals. It also adds a sociable element when it comes to entertaining guests during the summer months. Explore our range of handy tips for introducing more light into your home.
We then went to analyse the overall kitchen space, making sure that there is adequate space for worktops and a larder. This would allow us to consider adding soft furnishings to the room as a way to introduce a cosy living area.
Ed and Katie each have a bicycle so we also looked at ways to accommodate them, both inside and outside. Indoors, there was a corner next to the fireplace and between the living and dining rooms that could incorporate a storage cabinet. This piece of furniture would have the advantage of slightly dividing the two rooms without separating them fully, all while concealing the bicycles from view. The other option would be to locate a specially designed outdoor bike locker at the roadside corner of the property.
Still firmly focused on maximising the family’s storage options, we examined the pitch of the staircase to see what could be added there.
We also looked at the overall interior design of the property and how best to keep it light and balanced, with the introduction of skylights and harmonious decor touches.
As a final and unexpected flourish, we designed a new cloakroom with sliding doors and added a utility room. This option was achievable without having to knock through many walls, ensuring minimal disruption.
Here, we looked at different ways of redesigning the kitchen so that the entrance would connect directly to the backyard. This would allow for a patio door that opens out onto the exterior dining area, rewarding the family with increased natural light and better views of the garden.
The main difference to option one was that here we would knock through the existing internal wall to create an ‘L’ shaped kitchen with a wide entrance (1m 40cm) that is more visually appealing than the previous layout.
In terms of improving storage, we would place a wardrobe by the wall in front of the staircase, keeping the area under the stairs open so that prams and bicycles can be parked there.
We have a vast selection of ingenious ideas to assist with your home redesign project and reconfiguration work.
This design again included a galley kitchen with a minimalistic approach, meaning that we did not touch the staircase at all. We did keep in place a wardrobe for coats right next to the stairs with storage underneath as well. There would be space to leave the pram in front of the kitchen door. We also designed a useful worktop space on one side of the kitchen and utility cupboards to house white goods on the other. Need more inspiration? We know lots of other ways to help you maximise your kitchen space.
Next, we looked at placing the bikes next to the chimney breast and using the fireplace and its surroundings as extra storage for the family to benefit from.
For this transformation, we considered knocking through the main wall in between the dining room and kitchen to create an open plan living space that opens out onto the outdoor patio area. This would enable the family to eat outdoors when the weather is fine and enjoy having fresh air come through the open doors on the days that they choose to dine inside. We made sure we kept a large kitchen window in place to retain the visual connection with the patio and explored the option of rooflights or a lantern to further brighten up the space.
Finally, we looked at the family’s first floor bathroom, which is quite large but has no shower. We added one into our design and offered six different layouts for consideration.
Ed and Katie were very happy with our Concept Design Workshop and liked the ideas that were presented to them.
For our part, it was extremely satisfying to plan and meet the needs of this growing family, ensuring they have enough space in their home to accommodate a newborn. If you are unsure of where to start, we have information all about how best to invest in your home.
Ed says: “We have a nice range of ideas so we have to sit down now and think about which ones we’re going to do and how we’re going to combine them. I think we’re going to get something that’s a lot lighter, alot more space friendly and exactly what we’re looking for.”
With a tight budget in place, the next steps are to obtain quotes from builders and double check the various price options before settling on the best course of action. Our plans are hand drawn to scale so that the clients and builders can measure from them to get first cost estimates.
Would you like to change the layout of your home to create a better space? Book a workshop
“We have a nice range of ideas so we have to sit down now and think about which ones we’re going to do and how we’re going to combine them."
Ed and Katie
"I think we’re going to get something that’s a lot lighter, alot more space friendly and exactly what we’re looking for.”
"Ed and Katie were very happy with our Concept Design Workshop and liked the ideas that were presented to them."
"For our part, it was extremely satisfying to plan and meet the needs of this growing family, ensuring they have enough space in their home to accommodate a newborn."
Pride Road
