White House
Sparsholt, Winchester
White House is an early Victorian house within a conservation area that had evolved through a succession of extensions over many years. Although the accommodation had gradually increased the area, the house had become a collection of disconnected rooms with confusing circulation and little relationship with the garden.
The brief was not to make the house significantly larger, but to improve the way it worked. Much of the existing accommodation was retained, while the ground floor was completely reorganised to rationalise circulation, introduce two new staircases and create a much stronger connection between the principal living spaces and the garden.
Planning considerations encouraged a sensitive approach to the original house while allowing greater architectural freedom to the rear. Rather than imitating the architectural language of the Victorian house, the new open-plan kitchen, dining and day living space is expressed as a contemporary addition whose structure forms an integral part of its architectural character. The contrast between old and new allows each to be understood honestly while creating bright, flexible accommodation that responds to contemporary living.
