More light, more air, more connection

Katherine and Andrew live in Worsley, Manchester with their two sons. When they moved into their home in 2025, they were drawn to its character and generous proportions. However, the existing kitchen layout didn't suit the way they wanted to live as a family.

Split across two levels, with walls separating the kitchen, utility and dining areas, the space lacked a central place where everyone could get together.

Opening the living, kitchen and dining spaces, while improving the connection to the garden, completely changed how the family use their home.

Working with a clear vision from the outset, Katherine and Andrew drew inspiration from Scandinavian and Japanese minimalism to create a calm, contemporary space filled with natural light.

Their goal was to design a space that would allow family life to happen naturally throughout the day.

Katherine: "In our design, we really wanted to create a modern, contemporary, open-plan living space. It just meant that we could all do our different things but be together at the same time."

The new layout allows each family member to settle into their own activities while remaining connected, whether that's cooking, reading, working or relaxing.

"It really means a lot to us that we can all be in the same space without having to shout around the house, and spend more quality time together." 

Transforming the home required big changes both inside and out. Over the course of four months, the family undertook a major renovation to create the space they had imagined. The project included removing internal walls to establish the open-plan layout and replacing the existing pitched roof with a flat roof to achieve a cleaner, more contemporary aesthetic.

Outside, the transformation continued with new decking, landscaping and a raised platform overlooking the garden.

Katherine: "The whole process took around four months. That included knocking through the inside to create the open-plan space. We changed the pitched roof into a flat roof because we wanted the more contemporary feel."

"Not only did we do the inside, but we went into the outside. We've had new decking with a raised platform section, creating a new space which is great when we pull back the doors, as it brings the inside and outside together."

The garden has a beautifully raised viewing platform where the family can sit and enjoy the view of the brook and nearby fields. 

Natural light played a central role in the design from the very beginning. The family carefully considered how daylight would move through the house throughout the day and how each area would be used from morning through to evening. Living in Manchester, where conditions can change quickly, maximising daylight became even more important.

Katherine: "When designing the space, it was important to think about the lighting because of the way the light comes up in the morning and how it moves across the house and the different times of the day that we use the spaces within this area."

To bring more daylight into the home, they chose to incorporate VELUX flat roof windows into the design. Exposed beams were also introduced to complement the overall aesthetic. 

"The beams we had installed purely for aesthetic reasons - they look pretty against the roof windows. When the light's coming through, they make lovely shadows across the room."

Today, the transformed space has become the most-used area of the home. It has a quality that simply draws people in, whether for focused work, quiet unwinding or easy togetherness. So much so that Katherine, despite having a dedicated home office, frequently gravitates to the dining table - a favourite perch that offers generous natural light and unhurried views over the garden.

Katherine: "I have an office but with this space now, I like to come downstairs with the laptop, set it up at the table and just take in those views outside whilst working. I just feel more productive, it's lovely. When I'm not working, I sit in the lounge area and curl up with a book or a magazine and relax."

What began as an ambitious undertaking has culminated in something truly special, a brighter, more expansive home that feels wholly and beautifully suited to family life.

"We've had challenges along the way and it felt like it was a long time, but what we've achieved, we're just so happy with it."