This house was set in beautiful gardens, and incorporated 16th century framing, but its layout was entirely unsuitable for modern family life. Hives took the pieces and joined them up so that the kitchen and living areas opened up to the children's room and linked to the parent’s workspaces via a loggia and glazed link. In the process, modern lighting, cabling and heating were concealed while the hidden character of the old house was revealed, and the house was made worthy of its setting.