INSPIRING
When two people with a passion for renovating got together, a major project was inevitable. Tempted by an unpromising property in west London, they made it their mission to transform it into a stunning space…
STYLING MARISHA TAYLOR
HOME PROFILE
WHO LIVES HERE Barbara Knill, her husband David and their 18-month-old daughter Willow. The couple run development and project management company Bunny Hall, while Barbara also works in sports marketing and David works in property finance THE PROPERTY A four-bedroom terraced house in Chiswick, west London
KITCHEN
This page and opposite Barbara and David (pictured) designed the layout with practicality in mind. ‘We can stand at the sink with the dishwasher and bin at either side of us, then turn around to the hob,’ says Barbara. Pearl Jasmine splashback and worktop, Silestone. Brass brackets and handles, Plank Hardware
Light and flow were the answer to making our terraced home feel bigger,’ says Barbara Knill. ‘Our first, and most impactful, idea was to replace the living room wall with internal Crittall glazing to visually open the space and brighten the dark and narrow hallway.’
Barbara was looking for her next project when she met her husband David, who she was delighted to find was also considering his next renovation. ‘We came together with a passion for renovating so were quite happy to spend our time scrolling through Rightmove and daydreaming,’ Barbara recalls with a smile. ‘I’d already renovated my London flat and a chapel in Wales with my mum before I met David, who’d done up multiple properties.’ While living together in David’s west London home, Barbara found a demanding renovation opportunity in nearby Chiswick that neither of them could resist. ‘The house wasn’t great as the owner was a hoarder,’ she remembers. ‘Actually, it was so bad that when I showed a builder round to get a quote, he asked if we could step outside as he felt nauseous. But for David and me it’s awfulness was its charm – we were excited at the prospect of bringing the property back to life.’
In fact, they were so excited, they began talking to builders, Hibbs London, before they’d even completed the sale. The builders recommended contacting architects Arc8 Projects about their plans to add space to the house with a pitched glazed rear extension and loft dormer. But the couple also had more dynamic ideas.
‘Rooms on the first floor had 2.5m-high ceilings, so it was no problem to lower them by 22cm,’ says Barbara. ‘Doing this enabled us to achieve a height of 2.3 metres in the loft with floor-to-ceiling glazing and two proper double bedrooms, instead of one of them being crammed below the eaves. This was one of our greatest successes – it feels like a proper floor ra
