‘This any type style of works house’ in

When you have an old house with a modern extension, do you choose period or contemporary style… or both? Karen Ogilvie and Jon Moore have found the answer

When Karen Ogilvie spotted the ‘For Sale’ sign outside a house on a quiet Bristol street, she knew there was more to the ordinary-looking semi than met the eye. ‘I’d lived a few doors along, so knew about the amazing city views at the back,’ she says. ‘It was very run-down, but had potential to extend, and my partner Jon and I could see that it could be fabulous.’

The original three-bedroom layout has remained intact, and the only change visible from the road is a new utility room tagged on to the side. At the back of the house though, a spectacular, light-filled kitchen, dining and living room have been added, with a big main bedroom suite above. ‘It was tempting to add two bedrooms, but we wanted the house to work long term for us as a couple, so we went for one really big, luxurious suite,’ Karen says. Both floors have vast windows, making the most of the panoramic views. Downstairs, they open out onto decking with steps down to the garden. ‘We dug down for extra height,’ says Karen. ‘I hadn’t realised the difference it would make, but it was the key to the success of the space.’

‘We love entertaining and having parties, so opening up and extending the living area was an obvious move,’ says Karen. Life centres around the kitchen, dining and living space, where wood flooring and soft grey walls unite the different parts of the room. The height and huge windows of the new rooms contrast with the cosy Thirties proportions of the original parts of the house, but Karen and Jon have worked hard to make them flow together. ‘This house doesn’t immediately stand out, but when people come inside, they’re blown away,’ says Karen. ‘It’s everything we could possibly want.’