This major renovation of a house in North Oxford has transformed and modernised the existing property into an attractive, stylish and extremely spacious family house. The internal layout was remodelled to maximise daylight in the internal spaces, opening up views between house and garden. The staircase was moved to create a double-height, airy entrance hallway while cantilevered balconies helped reconnect disparate spaces throughout the house. A carefully considered, yet bold, colour scheme gave status and dignity to each room. The striking bay windows at the front of the house were reconfigured to create more generous reception rooms that are flooded with light. These new bay windows incorporate timber louvres to prevent the excessive solar gain that caused the original house’s front rooms to drastically overheat in the summer; these louvres also create a wonderful contrast of light and shade at different times of the day. Using principles explored and developed with students of the Interior Architecture Degree at Oxford Brookes, sight lines were opened up between internal spaces to increase and multiply the sense of openness without compromising the homely feel to the rooms.