The moment I stepped inside this Grade II Listed home, I could see why the owners needed help.

At that stage, the gloomy kitchen was crying out for a huge injection of light, plus an imaginative transformation.

Having discussed several possibilities with the owners, we agreed to remodel various areas to make it a much more practical home.

Ideas included knocking down the old kitchen and building out into the courtyard garden to create a more spacious single-storey kitchen. We also decided to rejig the upstairs layout to gain a larger bedroom and small shower room.

During the project, the dated kitchen at the rear of the property was replaced by a much smarter and airy room, featuring a roof light, a window and a door that all combine to make the space feel brighter.

The owners snapped up my idea of installing LED lighting around the roof light – the effect is stunning, particularly at nighttime.

Keen to hark back to the property’s past, the owners decided to leave a section of stone wall exposed in the dining area and juxtapose traditional furnishings with new contemporary gloss units, glass splashbacks, and a compact island with a statement glazed shelf.

Laying underfloor heating saved space, while the floor tiles were carefully matched to the existing ones to give the entire ground-floor a sense of continuity