BACK TO THE FUTURE

Moving house is always a big upheaval however buying Sussex House represents more than just relocating to a new house, we’re stepping back in time by several centuries.  Our previous home was a contemporary house designed by friend and architect, Sandy Rendel.

Sandy’s vision, calm headiness and ability to fully understand what we wanted from the design of our previous home, made him the obvious choice to help us redesign Sussex House.   However, this time around, he’s not working with a blank canvas, he is instead having to both work within the tight parameters of a historic listed building and our desire to retain the main architectural features of the house.  

Sandy’s key intervention is removing part of the rear of the ground floor to create a double height dining space connected to the basement via a mezzanine and staircase.  This involves taking out a lift shaft which was installed in the 1980s.  The removal of the lift will represent, both visually and symbolically, the building’s change of use from a commercial office space back to a domestic space.  At the rear left hand corner of what will become a double height dining space, Sandy has designed a double height frameless glass extension. 

The rationale for creating the dramatic five-metre high double height extension is to allow more light into the basement and create a freer flowing connection between the ground and basement levels.  The space will contain a new staircase to the basement and a dining area directly opposite a large open plan kitchen.   The basement would have originally contained a kitchen but this would have been a space almost exclusively used by servants, consequently the kitchen would have been deliberately buried out of view in the basement.  It was important for us that the kitchen and dining space became better connected to the reception spaces on the ground floor and a more attractive space where we can entertain friends and family.  Sandy’s design will provide us with a large open-plan contemporary kitchen which leads directly off the dining space and will be filled with light from the glass extension and double height ceiling.

Part of my decision to take on a project like the restoration of Sussex House, was being able to rely on a core team of builders and tradespeople whom I completely trust to help guide me through the restoration project.  Sandy’s value primarily comes from creating ingenious adaptations to the building that transform it from a historic building fit for a family with servants living in the 18th century to a modern family home without losing any of its Georgian charm.