A home for a family of seven has to do more than simply provide space. With five children, everyday life revolves around coming together — cooking, eating, talking, doing homework and sharing the small moments that define family life.

The existing ground floor, however, did not reflect this sense of togetherness. Its elongated layout separated rather than connected the different functions of daily life. We rethought the entire level as one continuous living environment, creating a natural sequence between kitchen, dining and living areas while allowing each space to retain its own character.

At the heart of the new layout, the kitchen became the centre of family life — open, generous and closely connected to the surrounding spaces. All elements of the interior were designed and made specifically for the project, allowing architecture, furniture and function to merge into one coherent whole.

The kitchen wall is a particular expression of this idea. When closed, it forms a calm, almost seamless backdrop to the room. Depending on how the kitchen is being used, individual functions can be revealed: the espresso station opens when needed, with its doors disappearing into concealed pockets; the ovens are hidden in the same way. Even the door leading to the basement behind the cabinetry is indistinguishable from the surrounding fronts.

The same principle continues into the entrance, where the doors to the guest bathroom and cloakroom disappear within a continuous wall. What appears simple and effortless required exceptional precision in planning and an equally high level of craftsmanship in its execution.

The transformation itself presented another challenge: the family continued to live in the house throughout construction while the entire ground floor was rebuilt within just ten weeks.

This required a precisely coordinated construction schedule, reliable sequencing of the individual trades and an exceptionally committed team of specialists and craftsmen. With little room for delays or unforeseen overlaps, decisions had to be made quickly and progress continuously coordinated on site.

The result is a home in which complexity quietly disappears. Functions reveal themselves only when they are needed; architecture, bespoke joinery, materiality and light form a calm background to the intensity of everyday family life.

What was once a sequence of separate spaces has become the shared heart of the house — generous enough for a family of seven, yet intimate enough for everyday life.

A home designed not around a particular style, but around the way a family actually lives.