This remodelling of a large semi-detached house in Abergavenny replaces a previously
cramped and disconnected kitchen extension with a lofty glazed orangery space, and creates a dramatic new relationship with the property’s generous garden. Cutting a large stepped sunken terrace into the space between the original house and the new orangery creates a substantial light-well and transforms the main property’s lower ground floor into a light and flexible new kitchen with floor-to ceiling glass doors. The orangery has direct physical links to the main house on two floors, and opens straight out onto the garden.

Being one half of a semi-detached property, the roofline of the orangery matches that of the neighbouring building and respects their shared composition. The original slate roof is supported on a slender steel and glass frame, which acts as a modern reading of the block form it has replaced. The orangery’s extensive glazing is subdivided in rhythms derived from the varied window openings of the original victorian house.