Though it seems counterintuitive we took off interior square footage of a rear porch and made a rear deck. When located on the third floor getting down to the yard is a chore. Having a walk out deck gives you a yard. We decided to open one room to another, but unlike a loft, we kept differentiation between spaces, retaining something of the Victorian aesthetic while making a modern house. There was an “aha” moment during schematic design where the idea of Victorian Second Nature became a guiding force. The flat would be grounded in classics but slightly tweaked.