Halvorsen Architects recently finished an extension to and remodelling of a 1970s house in Dunbar, East Lothian. A sun room, at the heart of the house, links the principal rooms and, with the removal of a wall, creates a large open plan kitchen-dining room. Light floods in through the wall-to-wall South-facing glazing, high-level East-facing clerestory windows and a large roof light.
The clients call it their “Lovely Room” and in the depths of winter said this:
“We love the Lovely Room! Despite the freezing weather outside the room is flooded with light and heat (currently 22 degrees from sunlight only). We’d feared the kitchen would feel like a dark cave but it has plenty of light too.
We’re always delighted to come home to it – and want to thank Halvorsen Architects for a design that works so well”.
As usual, I advised the client to live in the house for a while to understand how the light moves around the rooms before committing to curtains or blinds. In this case I was delighted at my final visit to see the clients’ solution of batik hangings with Celtic designs made by Skye Batiks. They move the hangings according to the suns position – a simple and imaginative solution.
