The owners of this large detached house in the desirable Hampstead Garden Suburb wanted to improve the circulation and extend the house to create a larger formal living room. We approached this project by reconsidering the internal layout issues to ensure that each space was filled with light from multiple directions. As a detached house in Hampstead Garden Suburb, the restrictions on what can be done to the external aspect of the building meant that any extension needed extremely careful consideration. We had renovated multiple homes within the suburb which allowed us to bring that knowledge to this project. The owners wanted to utilise the garage space for a new playroom, however, this meant removing space from the existing formal living room to create a corridor to the reclaimed garage room. To avoid dark spaces and smaller living space, XUL moved the living room back aligning the back of the house with the existing extension on the other side of the house. The internal wall was created using Crittall-style windows to fill this new corridor with light. We also brought light in from above by opening up a skylight at the end of the corridor above the single-storey playroom. A further skylight was added to the living room extension. We were keen to create better sight-lines throughout the ground floor which also allowed for more light to pour in. By changing the entrance hall to have a glass door into the central vestibule, and opening up the rear garden entrance with a single glass door, they were able to create an unobstructed view from the front to rear door. The understairs toilet was relocated to the front of the garage conversion. By liaising closely with the Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust, we were able to make several alterations as it was deemed to be an improvement to the existing property which had been previously extended at a time with fewer planning restrictions. Using our extensive knowledge of the suburb’s design guidelines, we received planning consent for 1m front extensions to each side and a small extension to the rear. The Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust appreciated our approach to unifying the building yet extending within the original four corners of the original footprint. We utilised our signature tilted skylight to bring more light into the kitchen and living space, which had also undergone some renovation to open the room up and level out the ceiling heights. This created a cohesive space that the family can use throughout the day. This 4bedroom house was altered to utilise one of the bedrooms for walk-in closet space and en-suite bathroom for the master suite. The two further bedrooms were reconfigured to create en-suite bathrooms and align the spaces with the central landing. A skylight was added above the landing to create a third direction of light.