Although this Victorian terraced house in Southsea was spacious, when I first visited, the downstairs layout felt unconnected.

To create more cohesion, I recommended knocking three rooms at the rear of the house into one large kitchen/diner/sitting area that would be much more practical for modern family life.

Although this project didn’t require planning permission, since it fell within the property’s permitted development, it needed careful consideration in terms of how to improve the flow.

My design entailed rejigging the existing kitchen, utility room and living room, and repositioning the downstairs cloakroom.

The previous single-storey extension was removed and, using a rather complicated arrangement of large steels, a new open-plan room was built, featuring large French doors that lead out to the garden.

A reclaimed Victorian door was installed in the living room to help enhance this handsome property’s character features, and the original fireplace was retained.

To link the hall, kitchen and living room together seamlessly, I recommended laying wooden flooring throughout the ground floor.

The owner runs a construction and joinery company and installed a striking bespoke kitchen fitted, complete with a large island, plenty of storage cupboards and shelving for displaying books and ornaments in the new sitting area.

We also changed the layout upstairs to create a bedroom and shower room, while the property was re-roofed and new sash windows were fitted.