This house, in a secluded part of Berkshire, was originally built as a cottage in the early 19th century. Over the years since, it has been dramatically altered and extended in several different phases. These developments, however, did not successfully take into account the design of the house as a whole. The result of this was a disjointed layout, with some oddly proportioned rooms, and an unbalanced external elevation. Making sense of both of these concerns became the starting point for this project. Internally, and before any consideration of extensions, the layout needed reorganising. Two intersecting axes were established as an organisational device for the ground floor. One axis sets up a view through to the garden from the entrance door. Perpendicular to this, the second axis connects the entrance & formal entertaining spaces to the kitchen and family quarters. Relocating the staircase became the key to unlocking the layout: it now sits at the intersection of these two axes and its more compact size released space to reproportion the rooms around it. Another key part of the proposal was the reconstruction and enlargement of the extension to the side of the house. This hosts all the ‘back of house’ functions, including a prep kitchen, utility room, boot room and shower room. A secondary entrance is created here, with a veranda-type porch to give a sheltered spot for removing muddy wellies. This project is a balance of traditional and contemporary design, both staying faithful to the original 19th century cottage and delivering the grandeur of a contemporary country house.