A Reimagined Family Bungalow – Talbot House by Luke Stanley Architects
Talbot House contains two worlds, with its period entrance disguising the sleek and modern design beyond. Luke Stanley Architects’ renovation has given fresh but authentic expression to the family bungalow, creating a unified home of understated strength and attentive functionality.
Talbot House is a charming stage ready for the drama of domestic life. The renovation centres around an open-plan kitchen and living room, with a sprawl of bedrooms in either direction and a lush garden courtyard at the back. Extending into the plot with elegant design and a natural rustic appeal, the house stretches its legs. With reserved elements and hues, the building evolves into new life complete with black wood panelling and angular lines. The manicured gardens are reminiscent of Japanese forestry, bordered by dark timbers and meticulous stone.
Talbot House is a charming stage ready for the drama of domestic life.
To add to this refreshed use of space, a new side entrance has been created. The utilitarianism of the family home has been wrapped in sophisticated artistry. The entry, set into the original bungalow, is heralded by black timber that functions as a prelude to the dark cladding to come and is subtly angled to welcome visitors inside. The entrance and garden pavings have been created with basalt stone from Pyrenees Quarries, their textures offering a marked difference to the former period style.
Running alongside the garden, a new master bedroom has been added, with corresponding reading nook. Both spaces are neatly separated from the main living spaces for privacy and seclusion. The passage way that leads through to the extension has been punctuated with twin square windows. Looking straight through to the external greenery, they separate old and new and bring a lightness to this addition.
The epicentre of this house is the kitchen. It has been reconfigured to overlook the living room and side courtyard. The two rooms are tied together with American oak flooring. Methodical slim, white kitchen tiles offset the deep blacks of the cupboards in light tesselation. The effect is one of balance and a sense of simplicity – the binary shades making way for more lively hues. In the living room, a fireplace has been added, creating a focal point of rustic comfort. Its assertive black steel frame is embedded in crisp pale brick and a polished concrete ledge. Here is the heart of the home, forming the centre between the children’s rooms towards the front and the parents’ retreat into the garden.
The spaces of Talbot House are practical above all else, as home life and leisure mix together and weave their way into the haven of greenery. The bungalow now stirs with beauty and charm, its reimagining amplifies a sense of purpose – to facilitate the ebbs and flows of family life.
