Houzz Tour: 1980s Home Updated for a Family’s Modern Lifestyle
An architect helps his sister and her sons make a fresh start in an English row house
An important part of an architect’s job is to get to know the client in order to design a home that perfectly suits the client’s needs and lifestyle. So when architect Angus Eitel took on the task of renovating a home for his sister, he was quite confident he could create a space that worked perfectly for her and her two boys.
The result is a light, cozy house that makes the most of its beautiful country location in the East Sussex area of England.
The result is a light, cozy house that makes the most of its beautiful country location in the East Sussex area of England.
The original property had a small hallway that led through to a living and dining room, with a separate room for the kitchen. Eitel opened up the space by removing the walls around the kitchen.
Find an architect on Houzz
Find an architect on Houzz
At the back was a low-roofed conservatory with a polycarbonate roof. “It covered the windows in the kitchen and dining room, so you couldn’t see out,” Eitel says.
The team removed the conservatory and installed a wide Origin sliding door across the back wall to reveal beautiful views of the valley beyond.
“I chose sliding doors to minimize the framing and maximize the view,” Eitel says. “They’re the widest sliding doors you can get at a midrange price, and the contractors were quite nervous about fitting them, as they didn’t have rear access.”
The team removed the conservatory and installed a wide Origin sliding door across the back wall to reveal beautiful views of the valley beyond.
“I chose sliding doors to minimize the framing and maximize the view,” Eitel says. “They’re the widest sliding doors you can get at a midrange price, and the contractors were quite nervous about fitting them, as they didn’t have rear access.”
Before: There were faux moldings on the arched alcoves in the living room, with a gas fireplace in the center.
After: Eitel removed the fussy details and squared off the tops for a more streamlined look. He then installed simple plywood shelves in the alcoves and a small wood-burning stove in the fireplace. Concrete pendant lights on both sides add interest to the space.
“We stripped the floor back to its original timber, but it wasn’t particularly nice and there was a concrete floor in the kitchen area,” Eitel says. “So we laid bleached engineered flooring throughout the open-plan space and the hallway.”
Find concrete pendant lights in the Houzz Shop
“We stripped the floor back to its original timber, but it wasn’t particularly nice and there was a concrete floor in the kitchen area,” Eitel says. “So we laid bleached engineered flooring throughout the open-plan space and the hallway.”
Find concrete pendant lights in the Houzz Shop
Eitel’s sister chose practical flat-front kitchen cabinets. “She’s a personal trainer and enjoys making nutritious food,” he says. “The uncluttered look suits her organized personality and clean, fresh lifestyle.”
Interior designer Clare Pascoe planned the kitchen and used her know-how to solve the challenge of working in enough storage.
“The kitchen itself was the biggest challenge because we wanted to take down walls and still have a meaningful dining area,” Eitel says. “There’s an integrated dishwasher, fridge-freezer and washing machine in the space, so it was important to have some overflow storage.”
Ventidue Grigio Chiaro cabinets in matte finish: Pascoe Interiors; bar handles and pendant lights: Buster + Punch; Clamshell quartz countertops: Caesarstone; hexagonal backsplash tiles: Grestec
Find a kitchen designer on Houzz
Interior designer Clare Pascoe planned the kitchen and used her know-how to solve the challenge of working in enough storage.
“The kitchen itself was the biggest challenge because we wanted to take down walls and still have a meaningful dining area,” Eitel says. “There’s an integrated dishwasher, fridge-freezer and washing machine in the space, so it was important to have some overflow storage.”
Ventidue Grigio Chiaro cabinets in matte finish: Pascoe Interiors; bar handles and pendant lights: Buster + Punch; Clamshell quartz countertops: Caesarstone; hexagonal backsplash tiles: Grestec
Find a kitchen designer on Houzz
It was Pascoe’s idea to install these tall kitchen cabinets behind the living room sofa and make a feature of them by painting the cabinets, the wall behind and the hall door an inky blue.
Kaori tall cabinets in dark blue matte lacquer: Pascoe Interiors
Kaori tall cabinets in dark blue matte lacquer: Pascoe Interiors
The simple dining area looks out to the yard and the countryside beyond. “As there isn’t really anywhere else to put the dining table, we took the opportunity to fit a large, dramatic pendant directly above it,” Eitel says.
Before: The original front door had ornate faux moldings around it, which Eitel was eager to remove.
After: “We took off the surround, tidied up the brickwork and put in a smart door,” he says.
The large windows were in fairly good condition. “The quality of light is one of the nicest features in the house, especially now that the conservatory isn’t blocking it at the back,” Eitel says.
The large windows were in fairly good condition. “The quality of light is one of the nicest features in the house, especially now that the conservatory isn’t blocking it at the back,” Eitel says.
A new staircase was added directly above the existing one to lead up to the loft. To accommodate this, the builders had to move the wall of the small front room slightly.
An airing cupboard (a warm place where laundered clothes can finish drying) sits between two bedroom doors. Behind this, in the back bedroom, were two closets. Eitel removed these and extended the back of the airing cupboard slightly.
An airing cupboard (a warm place where laundered clothes can finish drying) sits between two bedroom doors. Behind this, in the back bedroom, were two closets. Eitel removed these and extended the back of the airing cupboard slightly.
Before: This floor plan shows the original location of the back bedroom’s closets.
After: The new floor plan illustrates the extended airing cupboard depth.
The front and back bedrooms belong to the two boys, who were given free rein to design their own spaces. They decked out the rooms with practical furniture and decorative items.
A gray wool carpet covers the floor of the two upper stories.
A gray wool carpet covers the floor of the two upper stories.
Above the front door is a study. Since Eitel’s sister runs her own business, it’s helpful to have a dedicated space for office work.
Although the wall in here was moved forward to accommodate the loft stairs, there’s still enough room to fit a single bed if needed.
Although the wall in here was moved forward to accommodate the loft stairs, there’s still enough room to fit a single bed if needed.
Eitel replaced all the interior doors with robust fire doors. Each one is covered with linear wood paneling.
Before: The bathroom at the end of the hall is mainly used by the two boys. It had pink fixtures and tile.
Eitel changed the layout in here to work more efficiently.
“The room is mainly used for showering, but we wanted to keep the bath,” he says. So he chose an L-shaped Ideal Standard model with a large shower area at one end and an extra lip on the shower screen to enclose it.
Since privacy from the neighbors isn’t an issue, Eitel took the opportunity to replace the rippled glass with a clear, black-framed window to make the most of the view. The roller shade pulls down for privacy.
The back wall was built out to hide the plumbing, and a Caesarstone counter sits on top. “It gives a nice robust surface,” he says.
“My sister was very careful about budget,” he adds. “So all the fittings are simple stainless steel. The whole project focused on making the most of the space while being cost-effective and efficient.”
“The room is mainly used for showering, but we wanted to keep the bath,” he says. So he chose an L-shaped Ideal Standard model with a large shower area at one end and an extra lip on the shower screen to enclose it.
Since privacy from the neighbors isn’t an issue, Eitel took the opportunity to replace the rippled glass with a clear, black-framed window to make the most of the view. The roller shade pulls down for privacy.
The back wall was built out to hide the plumbing, and a Caesarstone counter sits on top. “It gives a nice robust surface,” he says.
“My sister was very careful about budget,” he adds. “So all the fittings are simple stainless steel. The whole project focused on making the most of the space while being cost-effective and efficient.”
The loft was converted into a bedroom and en suite for Eitel’s sister. “We put a full-width dormer on the back, which gives an amazing view from the bed,” he says.
Velux windows on both sides of the bed add to the feeling of space and provide a view of Lewes Castle.
The en suite is positioned along the dormer wall. “We used the same [Ideal Standard bathroom fixtures] as downstairs,” Eitel says. “But I convinced my sister to go for these dusky pink tiles in the shower area, which she now loves.”
Tesselate mosaic tiles: Grestec; white Matrix series tiles: Topps Tiles
Tesselate mosaic tiles: Grestec; white Matrix series tiles: Topps Tiles
In addition to the storage behind the bed, Eitel designed plywood shelving in the angled alcoves to keep the look simple and open.
“Once the plasterboard was up, we marked out the shelving and played around to make sure it worked with my sister’s items,” he says. “The [carpenter] helped by advising where we needed extra supports and framing.”
The windows give the space lots of ventilation in summer, and the carpet makes it cozy in winter. “We began the project to ensure my sister got an efficient, functional home for a fresh start with the kids,” Eitel says. “But I’m also pleased we could give her her own private, cozy space with such a beautiful view.”
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
“Once the plasterboard was up, we marked out the shelving and played around to make sure it worked with my sister’s items,” he says. “The [carpenter] helped by advising where we needed extra supports and framing.”
The windows give the space lots of ventilation in summer, and the carpet makes it cozy in winter. “We began the project to ensure my sister got an efficient, functional home for a fresh start with the kids,” Eitel says. “But I’m also pleased we could give her her own private, cozy space with such a beautiful view.”
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
House at a Glance
Who lives here: The architect’s sister and her two sons
Location: Lewes, England
Size: Three bedrooms, two bathrooms
Designers: Angus Eitel of fiftypointeight Architecture + Interiors (architecture) and
Clare Pascoe of Pascoe Interiors (kitchen installation and interior design)
Eitel’s sister was reluctant to take on a renovation project when she began house hunting after her divorce. “She was downsizing and wanted somewhere to move into straight away,” he says. “She’d looked at a much smaller property nearby, but as she has two active boys, it was clear she’d soon outgrow it.”
When she saw this row house in a 1980s development in Lewes, it needed updating. So she and Eitel visited a couple of renovated properties nearby to gauge the home’s potential. “Once she’d seen the other houses and done the maths, she was convinced it was cheaper to take on the project,” he says.