Wealden Times | WT261 | February 2024 | Education Supplement inside

This page: With some clever planning, the slender side extension has allowed the installation of a whole bathroom on the first
floor, complete with separate bath and shower. It all fits into an area which could easily have just become storage space
kitchen extension, which acts as a
leafy thermal regulator. “It’s great from
an architectural point of view – cool
in summer and warm in winter, like
having a carpet on the roof – and an
extra garden.” The only problem with
it was the installation. “Having upsized
the roof joists to support the additional
weight, we had planned to lay the green
roof ourselves if the budget allowed
at the end of the project. We hadn’t
anticipated the sedum sheets being
as large and heavy as they were when
they arrived fully saturated after heavy
rain, so followed a comedy sketchworthy
process of Sarah cutting the
sheets in half to carry them upstairs
through the house, soil dropping
as she went, to pass them through
an upstairs window to me to lay.
Thankfully the joints grew over very
quickly and now it looks lovely – and
there are bees all over it in summer.”
The living roof blends well with
the natural look of the charred
texture on the wooden clad extension
above – achieved via a Japanese
wood preserving process called
Shou Sugi Ban – which in turn
blends perfectly with the brownish
bricks of the kitchen extension.
There is an uninterrupted view from
the front entrance through to a huge
sliding door at the other end of the
house, that leads straight out into the
garden, so that light floods all around
the ground floor. A room that could
have been dark and poky is Sophie’s
study, but this borrows light from the
kitchen through what was an original
opening into the galley kitchen,
now cleverly made into an internal
archway that links the two rooms.
Small Victorian houses have a
tendency to be cramped and dark,
divided into several small rooms,
but by opening up the new kitchen
and dining space, Sophie and Sarah
have brought in masses of light.
They have added in more windows
in the form of rooflights. “A key to
creating a feeling of space in a small
house is to use light cleverly,” explains
Sophie. “Ask to add rooflights to
bring light into the darkest corners –
they can make a huge difference.”
But it is the streamlining of the space
that makes the main living area feel so
calm and open. The walls and ceiling
are painted in soft oatmeal or off white
throughout. The floor tiles are a similar
colour too, which creates an almost
floating effect. “This is what makes it
feel spacious,” explains Sophie. “You
can then bring colour and warmth to
the space with artwork and plants, and
use shelves and objects. We have a great
interior stylist, Molly Hill, who has
helped us create the look.” Having
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