Free Flow hazel and antony Morgan introduced open-plan spaces that make home life better for them, their daughter, and henry the British Bulldog

‘When we bought the property it was with the intention of modernising it,’ says Hazel. ‘We loved the area, the terraced style, the height of the ceilings and so on – but the property had pretty much the same layout from back when it was first built. It was dated in terms of decoration and fixtures and fittings, as well as having a funny little lean-to at the back, which housed a 1980s-style toilet and was used as a utility room, too. Some rooms were quite dark and the flow of the house just didn’t work for us as a family.

‘The sitting room/living area was split into two, and the dining room and kitchen were also separate, which meant the main spaces weren’t being used efficiently. We wanted to open out each of these areas to create large social spaces and encourage as much light throughout the house as possible, as well as easy access to the garden.

‘At the back of the house, the openplan layout means we have lots of space for our two-year-old – and our dog – to play and run around in. It also means we can keep an eye on her when she’s playing in the garden.

‘We had originally planned on keeping two different levels in the kitchen so that there was a step down into the dining area, which would create a natural division between the two. However, Richard from architects Archea suggested we could do this through the introduction of different materials – the blue panelling – which we think works and means the room flows in a much better way.

‘We now have lots more space so we can have play dates for our daughter and her friends, have friends over for dinner or barbecues and also have family to stay.’ Cost and Contacts Project cost £80,000 architect archea, 020 7249 1206, archea.co