At Courthope House, the client’s Nordic roots shaped a quiet, deeply considered approach to home. They were keen to bring warmth, simplicity and a sense of calm to the refurbishment, drawing on Scandinavian traditions of restrained detailing, natural materials and an easy connection with light, air and landscape. With a growing family, the end-of-terrace house also needed to expand generously, creating welcoming space for children, visiting relatives and everyday life. Although the existing house offered well-proportioned rooms, it felt disconnected from the west-facing garden. In response, we proposed a new open-plan kitchen, dining and living space extending across the full width of the rear ground floor, opening the home out towards the garden and the changing light beyond.
Natural light now pours through generous rooflights, wrapping down to frame a calm view of the garden and bringing the outdoors gently into the heart of the home. The kitchen pairs warm oak cabinetry with striking green marble worktops, balancing Nordic restraint with a richer, elemental palette of timber and stone.
The stone takes an important aesthetic and tactile lead throughout the project. It is carefully integrated into the crafted fireplace, giving the open-plan living and kitchen space a grounded focal point with a natural sense of permanence. Upstairs, the first-floor ensuite shower introduces a lighter, more playful mood, with a bespoke marble vanity and matching shower that continue the home’s quiet dialogue with the materials of the earth.
To support an uncluttered way of living, an additional pantry is concealed behind foldaway doors, keeping the rhythm of the main space free and open. A cloakroom has also been discreetly inserted at the centre of the new ground-floor layout, offering a practical and welcoming provision for family and guests.
The same sense of simplicity continues in the generously sized master suite. Storage is drawn away into a separate central dressing room, allowing the bedroom itself to remain serene and restful. Curtains are concealed behind a full-height headboard, while soft background lighting around the ceiling perimeter keeps the atmosphere gentle and atmospheric, placing focus on the oversized fireplace set on a travertine bench.
The new roof terrace introduces an elegant, shaded seating area overlooking the garden through the changing seasons. Sheltered yet open to the elements, it gives the family a private outdoor room: a place to gather, entertain, pause and enjoy the shifting qualities of daylight, weather and planting throughout the year.
The project also offered the opportunity to upgrade the existing fabric with care and sensitivity. A new roof structure, wood-fibre insulation and lime plaster throughout, together with upgraded windows, improve insulation and airtightness while supporting a stable internal climate through winter and summer.
The result is a home that feels rooted in its Nordic influences: closely attuned to light, material and the natural elements.