Richard Zinzan of ARCH angels on re-thinking your space rather than moving

This week, Richard Zinzan talks about what to do if your space isn’t working for you. Should you move or just re-think your space? There are a great many beautiful historic buildings in Brighton; many of these have been converted into flats, some sensitively. If you’re lucky you can get a share of a wonderful building with a layout that suits a modern lifestyle. If not, you may be living in a home which has been insensitively chopped up into a labyrinth of rooms which don’t flow.

Take this ground floor one-bedroom flat within an 1860s villa in central Brighton. Not only is it situated in a beautiful building, but it has the benefit of having a garden. However, the garden was only accessible through the bathroom! The owners are a social pair and became increasingly frustrated with the layout. Garden party guests had to remember to shut two doors when using the facilities – not the easiest of tasks after Pimms 0’clock!

Is it working for you?
So what do you do if you love your property, but one particular area just doesn’t work for you? The owners of this property didn’t want to move and leave their high ceilings, location and glorious garden but there seemed to be no other choice.

New access
Luckily they spoke to us before the estate agent! We suggested the new access to the garden should be through the bedroom. We replaced the existing sash window with lovely French doors – perfect for breakfast in bed on a lazy summer morning! Additionally this would then give the choice whether to retain the room as the bedroom or change it to be the living room.

Let there be light!
A new light-weight walkway and stairs in metal and glass were designed so there was minimal impact on the light to the lower ground floor flat. The existing back door was blocked up and replaced with a new window. As the villa is in a Conservation Area they had to match from the outside, but inside we sealed both the windows and put in opaque glass for privacy.

Realise your dream!
You don’t have to move if the layout of your property isn’t working for you or is too small. Extending up or out could be the answer. You can re-order the space or layout of your current property to realise your dream!

Richard Zinzan and Nicola Thomas are founders of ARCH?angels Architects, a local, Brighton-based approachable practice specialising in environmentally conscious and cost effective architecture. We work closely with you to maximise your space and provide beautiful buildings.

t 01273 267184
e info@aaarchitects.co.uk
w www.aaarchitects.co.uk