Having made the sensible decision to live in their new house for a few years before making changes Jamie and Marie-Claire were clear on what wasn’t working when they approached us.

Their house had been extended and altered over the years which had created an ad hoc layout with some spaces which were rarely used and others which didn’t serve their purpose. Jamie and Marie-Claire wanted the house to work with their outdoor lifestyle and love of hosting and entertaining outside. With both clients working from home the house also needed to provide dedicated working spaces and a degree of separation between the living and working functions of the house.  

The first big design move was the demolition of a large extension, the position of which was limiting the opportunities of the house and the relationship to the garden; from there, a new extension was proposed, which added a dining and living space, both with direct connection to the outdoors. Some internal reconfigurations replaced a first-floor bedroom with a new living and working space, which made the most of the spectacular views across the Firth of Forth. Another independent workspace is to be built within the garden, adding a much-needed second workspace.

The changes will transform the property and create flow between indoors and outdoors where it didn’t exist before. Darker, more enclosed spaces are repurposed as bedrooms, opening up opportunities for new living spaces to connect to the wider views.