Houzz Tour: Bright Kitchen Addition Becomes a Family’s Hub
A home in England gets a glass-enclosed cooking and dining area and a spacious new master bedroom
Jo Simmons
March 9, 2017
Houzz UK Contributor. I have been an interiors journalist since 1995, writing several books on design and numerous features for glossy homes mags over the years. For Houzz, I cover decorating ideas and trends and interview designers and professionals for their insights. My favourite pieces to write, though, are Houzz Tours, as I love exploring and learning about real homes. Call me curious — or nosy!
Houzz UK Contributor. I have been an interiors journalist since 1995, writing several... More
“Don’t move, improve!” was the argument that won out when Emma Barber and her husband, Julien, were trying to figure out how to gain more space. “It was between moving house or extending,” Barber recalls. “Eventually, because we loved the garden and location, we opted to extend.”
Working with a maximum budget of a little over $100,000, Barber, who’s an interior designer, planned and project-managed a spacious addition to the side and back of their 1920s semidetached home in Swindon, in South West England. “Now the house works for us as a family,” she says. “We could have spent the same amount just on moving costs, but what we spent here we see and enjoy every day.”
Working with a maximum budget of a little over $100,000, Barber, who’s an interior designer, planned and project-managed a spacious addition to the side and back of their 1920s semidetached home in Swindon, in South West England. “Now the house works for us as a family,” she says. “We could have spent the same amount just on moving costs, but what we spent here we see and enjoy every day.”
Photos by CP Photography
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Emma Barber, an interior designer; her husband, Julien; and their children, Neve, 6, and Elliot, 4
Location: Swindon, Wiltshire, England
Size: Four bedrooms, one bathroom, plus a powder room
Designer: Emma Barber of EB Interiors
The Barbers bought their home 14 years ago. It originally had a very small cooking area at the back, but the new addition means the kitchen is now wonderfully spacious.
“Everything is centered on this space,” Barber says. “It’s a very social area. We should probably use the living room more, but we spend all our time in here.”
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Emma Barber, an interior designer; her husband, Julien; and their children, Neve, 6, and Elliot, 4
Location: Swindon, Wiltshire, England
Size: Four bedrooms, one bathroom, plus a powder room
Designer: Emma Barber of EB Interiors
The Barbers bought their home 14 years ago. It originally had a very small cooking area at the back, but the new addition means the kitchen is now wonderfully spacious.
“Everything is centered on this space,” Barber says. “It’s a very social area. We should probably use the living room more, but we spend all our time in here.”
The house originally had a detached garage, “but you couldn’t get a car down to it,” Barber says. “We were just using it as a storeroom, so we decided to lose it and make use of the space at the side and extend at the back as well.” The dining area is now where the garage used to be.
Barber consulted her cousin, architect Bill Pier, for advice about the structural details. “He helped draw plans that did clever things, such as incorporating the original [hard-to-remove] walls to create hidden storage in the master bedroom,” Barber says. (See the plans at the end.) “This kept costs down, as we didn’t have to put in extra supports, which all cost money.”
Table and chairs: Ikea; sideboard: gift from a relative
Barber consulted her cousin, architect Bill Pier, for advice about the structural details. “He helped draw plans that did clever things, such as incorporating the original [hard-to-remove] walls to create hidden storage in the master bedroom,” Barber says. (See the plans at the end.) “This kept costs down, as we didn’t have to put in extra supports, which all cost money.”
Table and chairs: Ikea; sideboard: gift from a relative
Installing generous amounts of glass on the addition was a top priority. “We knew we really wanted glazing, but not bifold doors,” Barber says. On the rear wall are two static windows, while the glass on the side is a sliding door. “That was a major feature that cost [about $12,000], so when it came to budget, we worked around that,” she says.
Luckily, the family had a lot of existing furniture. “I knew what furniture we had, so it was about getting the finishes right,” Barber says. These original pieces now sit proudly in the new, larger space. “The table and chairs used to fit snugly in the dining room before. You could never extend the table, and if you did, you then couldn’t actually sit down at it!”
The new windows are a huge success. Barber can see the children in the yard, and son Elliot in particular spends most of his time out there in the summer. “It’s a cliché, but those windows do also bring the outside in, making the garden part of the house,” Barber says. “We’re really pleased with them. This is a bright space at any time of the year.”
Luckily, the family had a lot of existing furniture. “I knew what furniture we had, so it was about getting the finishes right,” Barber says. These original pieces now sit proudly in the new, larger space. “The table and chairs used to fit snugly in the dining room before. You could never extend the table, and if you did, you then couldn’t actually sit down at it!”
The new windows are a huge success. Barber can see the children in the yard, and son Elliot in particular spends most of his time out there in the summer. “It’s a cliché, but those windows do also bring the outside in, making the garden part of the house,” Barber says. “We’re really pleased with them. This is a bright space at any time of the year.”
“After doing all this work and building the extension, I didn’t want to cut back on the kitchen, but I did shop around and keep an eye on the budget,” Barber says, and it paid off. “I found a kitchen I loved that was also 60 percent off that weekend. It’s really good quality and was a bargain deal.”
Odina kitchen: Homebase
Odina kitchen: Homebase
Barber chose matte white cabinets with her small children in mind. “I like gloss, but it shows up every handprint, especially with all that light coming in,” she says. Carrara marble tiles form the splashback. “It’s a tiny bit of luxe and they break up the white,” she says.
To stay on budget, Barber recommends project-managing jobs such as a new kitchen yourself. “I tried to get good deals for everything — the cabinets, worktops, tiles — and then got people in to install them,” she says. “I think that’s where people get lost with money — they buy everything from one place. You do have the luxury of having it all done at once, but with a bit of hard work researching and buying it all yourself, you can save a lot of money.”
A generous island has a wraparound oak countertop and, on the outer side, space to sit at a breakfast bar. The cabinets are topped with a white resin work surface.
Stools: French Connection
Stools: French Connection
Barber laid porcelain checkerboard tiles in the hall soon after they bought the house. “I wanted a bit of wow as soon as you walk in,” she says.
Besides extending in the back, Barber expanded the living room into what had been the dining room at the front of the house. “This was done right at the end of the build, just before Christmas,” she says. “Then we painted like we’ve never painted before to get it done in time! We just wanted a bright, clean backdrop. I knew I could change it later, but in fact I’ve kept it this way, white and fresh.”
The storage unit with drawers was previously in another room. “I was debating whether to keep it or not, but moving it to the living room gave it a new lease of life,” Barber says. Now it holds DVDs. “Moving your pieces around makes a space feel really fresh. I would definitely recommend that to anyone. Just move what you already own or rejig it with a lick of paint.”
Armchair: Habitat; storage unit: Homebase; Berber rug; John Lewis
The storage unit with drawers was previously in another room. “I was debating whether to keep it or not, but moving it to the living room gave it a new lease of life,” Barber says. Now it holds DVDs. “Moving your pieces around makes a space feel really fresh. I would definitely recommend that to anyone. Just move what you already own or rejig it with a lick of paint.”
Armchair: Habitat; storage unit: Homebase; Berber rug; John Lewis
At the front of the living space, there’s room for the children to play. Barber’s husband built the shelves in the chimney alcove.
Barber modernized the bathroom about four years ago. “It had [an off-white] suite and blue tiles,” she says. “I wanted to freshen it up.” She installed a mirror on one wall to maximize light from the small window. “I also chose a wall-mounted basin to keep things off the floor, so you see more floor space. This makes the room feel larger,” she says.
Cork floor tiles: Wickes; wall tiles: local supplier; bathroom suite and radiator: Bathstore
Cork floor tiles: Wickes; wall tiles: local supplier; bathroom suite and radiator: Bathstore
Plants are dotted throughout the house. “They really soften a space,” Barber says. “As soon as you put some greenery in, it really brings a room to life and freshens it up.”
Radiator: Bathstore
Radiator: Bathstore
“I like children’s rooms to be bright and colorful,” Barber says. Elliot loves bright colors and Barber wanted to do something that showed off his collection of dinosaurs. “I wanted them to be the centerpiece,” she says. She painted the stool to create a bedside table.
Bed: John Lewis
Bed: John Lewis
The desk was an eBay find. “I was maybe going to paint the legs, but Elliot loved them,” Barber says. “Green is his favorite color, so he won that battle.”
Barber’s daughter, Neve, loves butterflies, and these versatile stickers have moved around the house with her, from her nursery to Elliot’s room, when she was in there, to her own room here. “They’ve been absolutely brilliant,” Barber says.
Lamp: HomeSense; wall paint: Pale Amethyst, Laura Ashley; stickers: Ferm Living
Lamp: HomeSense; wall paint: Pale Amethyst, Laura Ashley; stickers: Ferm Living
The master bedroom sits above the kitchen addition and features the same glass, lined up neatly with the large windows below.
“It’s brilliant to have a new, much bigger bedroom,” Barber says. “We’ve done it all wrong, though! We had two small children in a tiny house with our bed squeezed into what is now Neve’s room. This would now be the perfect house to have a baby in — I could fit a cot in here. Not that we’re going to have more children!”
Bed: House of Fraser
“It’s brilliant to have a new, much bigger bedroom,” Barber says. “We’ve done it all wrong, though! We had two small children in a tiny house with our bed squeezed into what is now Neve’s room. This would now be the perfect house to have a baby in — I could fit a cot in here. Not that we’re going to have more children!”
Bed: House of Fraser
The same white used throughout keeps the bedroom fresh and bright, punctuated with a blue throw and pillows.
Throw: HomeSense
Throw: HomeSense
Barber added built-in wardrobes to the expanded master bedroom. “I wanted somewhere I could hide all my stuff away and not have wardrobes in the room,” she says. “Now we just have the bed, bedside tables and chest of drawers in here. Everything else is hidden away. It’s a lovely, relaxing space.”
Barber cleverly upcycled an Ikea chest with some flashes of gold sticky-back plastic. “It adds highlights to it and kind of brings the piece to life,” she says.
Lampshade: John Lewis; Malm chest of drawers: Ikea
Barber cleverly upcycled an Ikea chest with some flashes of gold sticky-back plastic. “It adds highlights to it and kind of brings the piece to life,” she says.
Lampshade: John Lewis; Malm chest of drawers: Ikea
The original layout’s plan shows its slightly cramped configuration and the impossible-to-access garage. “It was quite a square house to start with and it’s now more L-shaped,” Barber says.
In addition to radically extending at the rear and side to create a large kitchen-dining space, the couple created a larger living room by combining the original living and dining areas. Three steel beams support the new kitchen-dining space on the ground floor.
On the second floor (marked on the plan as “first floor,” as it’s known in Britain), Barber looked into removing the corner of what had been bedroom three to open up the new master bedroom. However, that would have involved installing more steel beams and reconfiguring the roof, so instead they kept the corner structure and incorporated it by creating a storage space.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
On the second floor (marked on the plan as “first floor,” as it’s known in Britain), Barber looked into removing the corner of what had been bedroom three to open up the new master bedroom. However, that would have involved installing more steel beams and reconfiguring the roof, so instead they kept the corner structure and incorporated it by creating a storage space.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Related Stories
Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Period Home Gains Color and Character
By Kate Burt
Before-and-after photos show how a bold palette and restored features bring warmth and personality to this English house
Full Story
Barn Homes
Houzz Tour: Old Barns Become an Airy, Modern-Rustic Home
A barn home in Devon, England, sits lightly on the land and offers simple, relaxing spaces for an extended family
Full Story
Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Once-Bland Rental Now a Welcoming Home
By Kate Burt
A designer found on Houzz transforms a plain city apartment using color, texture and space planning
Full Story
Houzz TV
Tour a Contemporary London Home Full of Light and Garden Views
See and read how an architect on Houzz dramatically brightened once-dark spaces to create an airy contemporary home
Full Story
Houzz TV
Tour a Contemporary London Home Full of Light and Garden Views
See and read how an architect on Houzz dramatically brightened once-dark spaces to create an airy contemporary home
Full Story
Trending Now
The Most Popular Kitchens From Around the World in 2023
Visit Japan, Germany and 8 other countries to get inspiring design ideas in the most-saved kitchen photos of the year
Full Story
Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Lighter Look and Period Features in a Converted Barn
By Jo Simmons
In England’s Cotswolds district, an update introduces calm, contemporary elements while keeping a barn home’s character
Full Story
Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Updated Historical Home With a Modern Addition
By Jill Morgan
A light-filled addition and reworked layout transformed this period property in Wales into a stunning home
Full Story
Modern Homes
Houzz Tour: Family Says No to Relocating in Favor of Remodeling
An architect helps a family in Rome bring light, color and natural materials into their apartment
Full Story
Eclectic Homes
Houzz Tour: Rich Color and Classic Features Revive a Row House
A designer restores period details and improves the layout to reinvent a London home for a family of 5
Full Story
I really love the light in your home, and you have created a friendly warmth with your interiors. Love the rug in your master bedroom too! :-)
Beautiful clean space! The style of the cabinets are incredibly popular at the moment!