Period Extensions: Traditional or Contemporary?

[JoceAndChris]

:lol: The rabbit's to blame!

 

[Lime]

If you have a gothic house, matching it may be prohibitive. However, if it's possible then I think an extension should look as if it's always been there, and not only the exterior. Our previous house wan't listed, but I treated it as if it were. My design, only partially my execution.

Ivor

I think that looks quite impressive.
the only thing missing to my semi-critical eye is the old-fashioned zinc floor "safe" under the toilet.

 

[philpjuk100]

zinc floor "safe"?

 

[Alex]

We have just come back from living in a property that was provided by a company we worked for on a temporary basis. It was an old Victorian lodge that had been gutted, modernised and extendend by an architect, not the type of property we would choose to live in. It was once a lovely property but when we moved in, it had been turned into an over extended, glass box with no soul. It was open plan and when you stood at the frontdoor you could see right through to the back garden. There was so much glass, stainless steel, high gloss and chrome that I spent every hour that I wasn't working, cleaning. if it was possible to by it in a mirrored finish then that was what the owner had bought. All the downstairs rooms had gloss ceramic floor tiles that were either black or white and yes, you have probably guessed it, it had a black and white high gloss kitchen. Yes, when the sun came out it was lovely, the sun shone right through the house and made you feel happy but it also showed up the dust and finger prints on everything. Keeping it all clean was a constant battle, it echoed and I won't even mention how much it cost to heat in the winter.
I know you are just trying to decide on what type of extention to have but if its not you who does the cleaning............. please don't have too much glass and gloss especially if you have children or pets.
Alex

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oh, a dire warning in that post. Very wise and true.

I visited a friend in a 70s "Abigail's Party" style house last week, it featured a lot of the surfaces you describe as well as the decked verandah with the comfy cushioned rattan sofas and pull out canopies etc. Not a speck, a leaf, a weed, a DIY project in sight. For a moment I was jealous of the immaculate order and polished look of it all but actually can't live like that at all. There has to be a lived in look of historic charm and associations for me. Each to their own I suppose!

For that reason I'd pick the reclaimed, slightly broken, wonky, patinated, antique object over new and shiny as much as possible for the home.