A STUDY IN STYLE

Discovering a property in their old university city allowed Suranga and Gemma Chandratillake to craft a beautiful home

Returning to their university town led one couple to a characterful Edwardian terrace

When Suranga and Gemma Chandratillake were both students at the University of Cambridge, they lived in rented rooms in the Petersfield district – a characterful quarter with rows of Victorian and Edwardian houses within easy reach of the city centre. After relocating to the United States for more than a decade, the couple decided to return to Cambridge and – naturally – settled on Petersfield.

‘We were based in San Francisco and agreed that if we ever moved back to Britain we would want to live in Petersfield,’ says Suranga. ‘We kept an eye out online until eventually we found this place.’

The house had a workshop on the ground floor and self-contained flat on the top level. Having bought the property, the couple rented it out as they prepared to move back to Cambridge, while planning how to update the house for themselves and their two young children. ‘We didn’t want to rush straight into a renovation, so we waited until we had moved in and got to know the house,’ says Suranga. The couple were keen to have a more fluid layout, with a balance between larger rooms and intimate retreats.

‘We wanted a more natural sense of movement through the

house,’ says Gemma. ‘And we wanted to make more of the relationship between the interior and the garden.’

During one of their online searches, Suranga and Gemma stumbled on a kitchen design by architects Luke Mclaren and Rob Excell. They decided to get in touch and began work on a renovation that took around a year to complete.

The flat at the top was converted back into living space, with two new bedrooms, while a large skylight was added above the staircase. The firstfloor master bedroom and guest bedroom, as well as the bathroom, were redesigned with crafted joinery and fitted storage and a smaller bedroom was repurposed as a study.

But the most dramatic changes were on the ground floor, where a new extension, clad in oak, spreads out into the garden. With its pitched roof and picture windows, it serves as a hub with a bespoke kitchen at one end and living space at the other. A bank of fitted cupboards runs down one side, with a mini-extension beyond holding utility spaces.

‘A large element of the project was about reorientating the house towards the garden,’ says architect Luke. ‘So we took the back off the structure and rebuilt it to enable the new extension to blend a little into the rest of the house.’

The kitchen flows into the dining room, which benefits from a generous, floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door. This frames the garden, while connecting to a new outdoor room. ‘I love to be in the kitchen because I can prepare a meal but feel connected to people,’ says Suranga. ‘The windows are so large that it feels as though you are outdoors, which is just what we wanted.’

DINING ROOM The couple sensitively remodelled this space, while preserving the fireplace and other original features. Walls in Lamp Room Grey estate emulsion, £46.50 for 2.5L, Farrow & Ball. Bespoke elliptical walnut dining table, Carpintree. Lattice chandelier, price on application, Neri & Hu

SITTING ROOM Period elements, such as the fireplace, contrast with classic mid-century pieces. Walls in Salon Drab estate emulsion, £46.50 for 2.5L, Farrow & Ball. Kylie Minogue portrait, price on request, Annie Kevans. Similar Murano glass Vistosi chandelier, £1,135, Pamono. Isamu Noguchi coffee table, £2,100, John Lewis & Partners

SITTING ROOM The repetition of blue in the sofa, pendant and chair adds to the space’s calm ambience. Try Wayfair for a similar sofa

KITCHEN/ LIVING AREA An island sits at the centre of this new space, while a bank of bespoke cupboards (below left) contains crockery, china and glassware. The window seat in the living area (below far left) is framed in the same wood. Cabinetry in American black walnut, price on request, Mclaren.excell. Limestone worktops, price on request, Stone Age. Anour copper pendant light, £1,508, Beut. Polished concrete floor, price on application, Steyson Concrete Floors

BATHROOM A pared-back scheme ensures the floor tiles stand out. Moroccan encaustic tiles, from £3.80 each, Terrazzo Tiles. La Rochelle Bateau bath, from £3,135, The Cast Iron Bath Company

BATHROOM The children’s bathroom is on the top floor, tucked into the pitch-roof space created by one of the dormer windows. Similar wallmounted brass tap, £960, The Water Monopoly

MASTER BEDROOM Bespoke storage painted in the same shade as the chimney breast and surround forms an elegant backdrop. Hague Blue estate emulsion is a similar wall colour, £46.50 for 2.5L, Farrow & Ball

BEDROOM The custom-made wall panelling includes storage cupboards and a headboard complete with shelf. Similar throw, £75, Bronte By Moon. Ogilvy swing arm wall lamp in matt Black and antique brass is similar, £59, Made