Houzz Tour: A Tiny Cottage Gets a Bright, Space-enhancing Update
Thoughtful design ensured this compact worker’s cottage gained space and light without losing its vintage appeal
It’s a common question – how do you modernise a period property while retaining its original charm? This challenge was paramount for Phil Thomas of design and build company Albert’s House when it came to redesigning a couple’s compact Victorian worker’s cottage. “We wanted to bring the home up to date while respecting its character,” he says.
Phil added a pitched-roof side-return extension and opened up the living and dining rooms to create more space, but he paid attention to detail in his design to ensure the home kept its vintage feel.
Phil added a pitched-roof side-return extension and opened up the living and dining rooms to create more space, but he paid attention to detail in his design to ensure the home kept its vintage feel.
Phil sourced antique brass door knobs for the cabinets, and the couple went for a Carrara marble worktop. “It adds texture to the room and enhances the light,” Phil says.
Metro tiles on the wall keep the look simple and are echoed in the bathroom upstairs.
Brass door handles, Optimum Brasses.
Did you know you can make your renovation easier by hiring a project manager? Find a professional in your area and read reviews from previous clients on Houzz.
Metro tiles on the wall keep the look simple and are echoed in the bathroom upstairs.
Brass door handles, Optimum Brasses.
Did you know you can make your renovation easier by hiring a project manager? Find a professional in your area and read reviews from previous clients on Houzz.
The houses in the conservation area are quite close together, so a pitched roof extension created more space without impinging on the neighbours.
Phil left the London stock brick exposed on the party wall to add character. The back door, which mirrors the Shaker look of the kitchen cabinets, is half glazed to let in light.
Three rooflights brighten the space even more, while angled wall lamps illuminate the way in the evening.
Walls throughout the house painted in Strong White, Farrow & Ball. Angled lights, Urban Cottage Industries. Bar stools, Cult Furniture.
Phil left the London stock brick exposed on the party wall to add character. The back door, which mirrors the Shaker look of the kitchen cabinets, is half glazed to let in light.
Three rooflights brighten the space even more, while angled wall lamps illuminate the way in the evening.
Walls throughout the house painted in Strong White, Farrow & Ball. Angled lights, Urban Cottage Industries. Bar stools, Cult Furniture.
The walls between the dining room, hallway and living room were removed to create an open-plan space. “We laid band-sawn oak floorboards throughout the ground floor to add warm texture,” Phil explains.
“The dining table and chairs were reclaimed from a project our builder had recently finished nearby,” he adds, “and the fireplace surround was from the same renovation.”
Ceiling lights, Urban Cottage Industries. Lamp, Oka. Shutters, Plantation Shutters.
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“The dining table and chairs were reclaimed from a project our builder had recently finished nearby,” he adds, “and the fireplace surround was from the same renovation.”
Ceiling lights, Urban Cottage Industries. Lamp, Oka. Shutters, Plantation Shutters.
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The living room fireplace (just seen) was already in place, but Phil painted its orange pine surface in the same shade as the kitchen base units.
The wall between the kitchen and living spaces wasn’t completely opened up. “These cottages are really cosy, so we wanted to keep a bit of that,” Phil explains. “It’s also more practical for them, as they have a dog. They can pull a baby gate across the larger opening when they come in from a muddy walk.”
The original kitchen door on the left was blocked up, but the top half has been left open to provide a view of the kitchen and as a nod to the original architecture of the house.
Fireplace painted in Railings, Farrow & Ball. Rug; sofa; armchair, all Marks & Spencer.
The wall between the kitchen and living spaces wasn’t completely opened up. “These cottages are really cosy, so we wanted to keep a bit of that,” Phil explains. “It’s also more practical for them, as they have a dog. They can pull a baby gate across the larger opening when they come in from a muddy walk.”
The original kitchen door on the left was blocked up, but the top half has been left open to provide a view of the kitchen and as a nod to the original architecture of the house.
Fireplace painted in Railings, Farrow & Ball. Rug; sofa; armchair, all Marks & Spencer.
In the master bedroom, the bed was wider than the chimney breast, so the team created false half walls either side to fill out the space. The shelves on top are hinged to give access to storage within.
Bed, Loaf. Bed linen, The White Company. Cushions, PB Home. Bedside cabinets, Newark Antique Fair. Bedside lamps, Original BTC. Nordic knot loop wool carpet, John Lewis & Partners.
Bed, Loaf. Bed linen, The White Company. Cushions, PB Home. Bedside cabinets, Newark Antique Fair. Bedside lamps, Original BTC. Nordic knot loop wool carpet, John Lewis & Partners.
Opposite the bed, a wall-to-wall wardrobe with internal drawers provides plenty of storage. The MDF panelled doors were spray-painted in a very pale grey to complement the darker walls.
Wardrobes painted in Ammonite; walls painted in Pavilion Gray, both Farrow & Ball.
Wardrobes painted in Ammonite; walls painted in Pavilion Gray, both Farrow & Ball.
A divan bed in the second bedroom provides valuable extra storage. Phil weaved in a vintage feel with an antique chest of drawers and an upcycled wooden crate next to the bed.
Bed linen, The White Company.
Bed linen, The White Company.
“The bathroom is quite large, which allowed us to fit in a separate shower, a freestanding bath and a double basin,” Phil says. “The basin and bath were reclaimed from the same project as the dining table and fireplace.”
A vintage-style towel rail hangs on the wall to add to the traditional look. Phil painted the side of the cast-iron bath the same colour as the kitchen units to give the home a harmonious look.
Bath painted in Railings, Farrow & Ball. Toilet, Burlington. Towel rail, Marks & Spencer. Blind, Swift Blinds.
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A vintage-style towel rail hangs on the wall to add to the traditional look. Phil painted the side of the cast-iron bath the same colour as the kitchen units to give the home a harmonious look.
Bath painted in Railings, Farrow & Ball. Toilet, Burlington. Towel rail, Marks & Spencer. Blind, Swift Blinds.
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Carrara marble mosaic tiles on the floor and white metro tiles on the wall tie in with the materials used in the kitchen.
Floor tiles, Fired Earth.
Floor tiles, Fired Earth.
The loft had already been converted into a bedroom, and the grey wool carpet that features in the first floor bedrooms continues up the stairs.
The pendant light is in the same style as those in the living spaces on the ground floor.
The pendant light is in the same style as those in the living spaces on the ground floor.
There wasn’t much to do in the loft, apart from adding a lick of paint, some roof windows, and brushed stainless-steel fittings and sockets.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite room or feature in this small worker’s cottage? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite room or feature in this small worker’s cottage? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Who lives here? A couple
Location West London
Property A Victorian worker’s cottage
Size Three bedrooms and one bathroom
Designer Phil Thomas of Albert’s House
Photos by Charlie McKay
To increase space in this small worker’s cottage, the kitchen was extended to the side. “The couple were keen to have an island for sociable eating,” Phil says. He positioned it to face out to the garden, so diners have a view, and away from the side wall, so it didn’t block the passage to the back door.
The bespoke, Shaker-style cabinets have been spray-painted in two shades; the base units are lead grey and the wall units are an off-white, which helps to open up the space.
Kitchen cabinets; Carrara marble worktops, all Yew Tree. Base cabinets painted in Railings; wall cabinets painted in Cornforth White, both Farrow & Ball. Sink; tap, both CDA.