Open House Festival – LivingFunky House

Claire — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 06:44:06 +0000

Wates Built 1960s Semi, extended & renovated into a vibrant, colourful stylish 21st Century home. Embracing Midcentury & Modern design with Bold Colours, Patterns & Materials to create the feeling of space, light & individuality throughout.

ABOUT

History & Location

Purchased by Claire Hunte and Lindsay Gibbons of LivingFunky this Midcentury Semi is located on a revolutionary post war Crystal Palace development with:

“90-dwelling garden development of new style townhouses and semi detached homes on valuable land only seven miles from Piccadilly Circus, yet imaginative planning has provided large living areas while a garage big enough for the larger family car has been built into the lower floor.” – Wates News April 1960

Purchased by Claire Hunte and Lindsay Gibbons of LivingFunky this Midcentury Semi is located on a revolutionary post war Crystal Palace development with:
“90-dwelling garden development of new style townhouses and semi detached homes on valuable land only seven miles from Piccadilly Circus, yet imaginative planning has provided large living areas while a garage big enough for the larger family car has been built into the lower floor.” – Wates News April 1960

Architectural Space Planning

Having grown up in Canada my priority was to provide more space for our family by creating: a Double Storey Side Extension, Single Storey Rear Extension, New Front Porch, Full House Renovation, Garden room and a Converted Garage

Our Journey

I have a love affair with extending the footprint of homes, modernising them and updating their overall design – this house is no exception. Plus, finding significant garden space in London is rare, so I knew we had a gem packed full of opportunity and a chance to create a very special home.

The property hadn’t seen a paint brush since the 90s, and it soon became clear that it was still being serviced with old electrics and a very old air heating system. We stripped out the electrics and installed a new central heating system, as well as two new Regulation A fuse boards – one for the existing structure and a separate one for the new build extensions. This made it easier to separate the electrics and identify any faults.

After doing this initial renovation which also included top to bottom plastering, decorating and re designing the bathroom, we focused on creating the extensions and increasing the size of the house. Getting to the extension build stage required a fair amount of design time, and communication with our local authority but our planning approval was granted months later so it was time to get to work.

We had to move some of the existing drains, which were dug up to 2m below ground and relocated with the support of a Thames Water approved contractor.

We installed new double glazed windows to the extension as well as to the existing home.

The new kitchen was established as the focus and the hub of the home in the new extension, with underfloor heating extending into the new utility room, guest bedroom and ensuite eliminating the need for any wall radiators downstairs in the extension. The upstairs area of the extension includes a primary bedroom and large ensuite with a full height vaulted ceiling throughout creating an extra layer of bright natural light and lots of space.

With the extension built and a garden office being erected, I focused on another aspect of design that I love – the interior design and styling.

Interior Design and Renovation Vision

My vision is always to make a positive impact in our lives by creating a happier everyday existence in our home, as well as finding new ways to add value and embrace the unique personality of every home we live in.

With a background in fashion design and being a child of the 70s, I bring my love, knowledge and experience of combining colours, patterns, materials and fabrics to my home.

I love working from an initial white box or canvas and gradually, overtime I fill this box with layers of colour through wall paints, tiles, funky flooring materials etc. I then add patterns through fabrics, furniture and soft furnishings. The look is then gradually completed with the right accessories such as art, lamps, plants and one off second hand finds.

My Partner who has Certified as a low energy (passivhaus) builder, has worked in the building industry for more than 30 years, managing and working on projects for individual homeowners through to multimillion pound commercial sites.

Together we combine our passion for transforming unloved homes and constantly push the boundaries of style whilst increasing the property value and practicality in our projects.

The Building

A cramped 3 Bedroom, 1 Bathroom 1960s house that has been significantly extended and renovated to approximately 1800 sqft to accommodate 5 Bedrooms and 4 Bathrooms, with a large kitchen hub, dining living space and outdoor entertaining and garden office for home working, working out or relaxing in. All designed and renovated to a high quality, in a stylish bespoke manner.

Speak soon

Claire Hunte + Lindsay Gibbons = LivingFunky

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