Spending more time at home has made us more intimately aware of the space we live in, of its advantages and flaws, such as the lack of space, the lack of natural light, the lack of privacy for zoom calls or video schooling, the lack of personal space. Spending a considerable amount of time at home has made many realise the need to improve the space we live in to perhaps add a home office or study to create a comfortable work/study environment, undertake loft conversions, add an extra bathroom, improve outdoor living and access to nature, or improve the existing internal space.

Architects are trained in how to find space and create the illusion of space. Our Cabra House project involved the remodelling of a Dublin city bungalow adjoining Phoenix Park. This house was built in 1920's and typical of that era, had small compartmental rooms with small windows. The layout was dark and cramped. We opened up the living space and introduced plenty of natural light into the home.

We were approached by clients who purchased a 3 storey red brick Victorian house on Belfast's Upper Newtownards Road. Although this house seemed large spread over 3 floors, it had small dark rooms and a lot of underutilised space resulting in minimal actual living space. We rearranged the internal layout so it added space within the existing footprint of their home and transformed the living space to work better for the occupants.

At our Cabra House project, we also included a loft conversion and added an extra bedroom and bathroom with carefully placed roof lights to maximise the natural light with fabulous views over Phoenix Park, maximising the space available within our Client's existing home.

We added a loft conversion to our Cultra House refurbishment project to include an extra bedroom, bathroom and home office with a large window that has amazing views over Belfast Lough. This is now a private space to work and study away from communal areas of the home.

One of the biggest challenges for many since Covid has been working or learning from home. In many homes there is a lack of space or privacy. In Ballyhackamore, East Belfast, we designed a bright office space on the first floor landing of the home, a previously underused dark space at the top of a flight of stairs.

Since the Covid Pandemic we have started using our kitchens more. They have become multi-functional spaces. We have been approached by many clients wishing to improve and extend their existing kitchen and living spaces.

The need for accessible outdoor spaces and gardens has become more valuable during the pandemic. Clients have requested private outdoor spaces and havens. We designed a bespoke separate external semi-enclosed sun garden terrace in County Tyrone that included a seated area for 8 people and connected to a dining area with a dual frontage stove for heat.

The Covid Pandemic has made us all more mindful of the space we live in. We need space to spend with our family, as well as space to work, learn, exercise, be alone and recharge. It has made many of us reassess what we want in a house and many of our clients realised the need to improve their space.