Petersfield House by Rachael Smith

Petersfield House

Photographs Rachael Smith

Words Dominic Bradbury

The Chandratillakes were fortunate to find an Edwardian terraced house that once belonged to a Cambridge academic and his wife. The house included a separated student flat on the top floor and was rather tired, not having been renovated since the Eighties or before. In particular, there was little sense of connection with the back garden, which was important for a family with two young sons.

The family turned to architect McLaren Excell, who effectively rebuilt the back of the house. They added a new and generously scaled kitchen extension, with a mini-me outrigger to one side holding all the utility spaces. At the same time they opened the dining room to the garden via a wall of glass and connected it to the kitchen, so that the ground floor now features a circular route around the central stairway. Bedrooms and bathrooms were modernized with many bespoke elements and the old student flat at the top of the house converted into a bedroom and den for the boys.