A new bright and airy open-plan kitchen and dining area free up the existing return to accommodate a home office, storage wall, utility room and WC.
Extension in Sandycove
When the owners approached Diarmaid Brophy Architects, they had lived in the house for a while and were clear of their needs – for an extension at the rear of the house to provide a more generous kitchen/dining area along with a utility room, study/desk area and seating area.
The existing kitchen and dining area occupied the return, a long narrow room, at the back of the main house. A number of south facing windows and a glazed door opened onto the sunny south facing patio area running along side this return. Any new extension had to take account of this sunny spot. At the end of the kitchen, a lean-to extension the width of the return contained the utlity room, allowing only a glimpse of the west facing back garden from the kitchen as a result. The existing lean-to was removed to make may for the new extension.
The new single-volume extension sits at the end of the return and contains the new open-plan kitchen and dining area. The gently sloping garden allows for steps down into the new extension, creating a generous floor to ceiling height for the new open-plan space. This level change is acknowledged by a change in floor finish, moving from timber to polished terrazzo and also allows for a window seat between the kitchen and the small south-facing courtyard beside the return.
The new extension is built with solid parallel walls sitting against the boundary walls. The 2 other sides of the extension contain the maximum amount of glazing to catch morning and evening light and a large sliding door providing access to a new outside area. A small overhang above provides some cover from the elements.
In the existing return, a WC is placed under the stairs with a utility room opposite. The utility room has direct access to the small south-facing courtyard. Floor to ceiling storage is provided along the corridor leading to the new extension and a small study area are placed at the end of the existing return.
Photography by Richard Hatch, ©