Long live the king

"I wanted to be in the middle of town and moved here from a Fifties house in Highgate - the contrast could hardly be greater," says Schulz.

"It stands right on the pavement and is part of the energetic street scene. It has a very welcoming feeling, light rooms and a small garden."

The building contained original details, such as panelling and decorative cornices, but was in need of a facelift.

"Because it is listed as Grade II*, I knew I'd need planning permission to do anything, but I was prepared to see it through," adds Schulz.

True to the experience of many Georgian homeowners, Schulz found that the house adapted readily to his vision of modern living.

In the refurbishment, carried out by Form Design Architecture, the basement was opened up to make a comfortable guest suite, with its shower room in the old coal cellar; the reception rooms at ground level now contain a dining room and a freestanding, bespoke stainless-steel kitchen by Form.

"Units had to be freestanding because we couldn't fix anything to the original wooden wall panelling," says Schulz.

The first floor is an elegant living room, and Schulz has a bedroom and bathroom suite on the top floor.

With the exception of the kitchen - which would have been originally in the basement but had been relocated by previous owners - the house is used broadly as it would have been more than two-and-a-half centuries ago.

"The original occupants would never have imagined a future owner choosing to sleep in the garret directly under the roof, rather than in one of the panelled rooms below; and for his guests to be accommodated in the basement," says Malcolm Crayton of Form Design.

"And what they would think of cooking, open to view, within the formal panelled and decorated ground-floor reception rooms, goodness knows. "However, in practical terms, the ground floor and the first floor retain their original purpose: as reception spaces for living and for receiving guests."

THE fabric of the building has been restored or replaced to match the original Georgian design, and thoughtful details include electrical sockets set into the floor to keep the panelling and skirting free of wiring. New additions, such as the kitchen, are in a contemporary style.

"We wanted to maintain clarity between old and new," explains Crayton. "Nothing pretends to be what it's not."

Converting a Georgian bathroom

One of the challenges of living in a Georgian house is creating a great bathroom: it wasn't until the late-19th century that homes started to feature rooms designated for bathing.

Having worked on several Georgian homes, Mark Ruthven of KSR Architects has evolved a robust approach.

"Our philosophy is that, where rooms such as bedrooms and living rooms are used as originally intended, they should stay as they are, but those containing contemporary activities like cooking and bathing should have a contemporary approach.

"The simplicity of the best classical modern design sits extremely well with the classical style of the Georgian house, and, in practical terms, there is space in floors and walls to thread plumbing and wiring."

In this north London home, the bathroom design relates closely to the house. "The joinery, including the washbasin stand, matches the proportions of the room and wall panelling," says Ruthven.

"And the use of a dark wood was chosen to be sympathetic to the colour of Georgian furnishings."

The simple, white bathroom suite is by Agape, and shallow shower tray by Bette. Unusually, the sculptural white bath, also by Agape, has been fitted in the bedroom and stands before the fireplace.

Although the bath looks as if it were made of stone, it is, in fact, of a slightly lighter resin material. The floor was strengthened with additional joists.

Adding a glass extension

A grotty galley kitchen was the spur to adding an elegant contemporary glass extension to this 1770s listed Georgian home in south-west London.

"Knowing that the kitchen is the heart of the home, our miserable galley had to go, but I didn't want to interfere with the formality of the house or lose the dining room," explains owner Diana Erskine, an auction house consultant.

She contacted architect Josh Berry of Plastik Architects who suggested enlarging the existing two-storey back extension to contain a new hand-built kitchen by joiner Peter Wale, and then glazing over a portion of the outside terrace to make an adjoining breakfast room.

The proposals were discussed at length with planners and English Heritage, and while they were happy with the elegant glass-fronted pavilion, Berry was advised to add a period style window to the brick extension, instead of his proposed contemporary-style frame.

"My idea was that the additions should be woven into the house as delicately as possible," explains Berry. "These buildings need to be treated sensitively, massive change ends up requiring serious structural work and then costs escalate." Says Erskine: "The kitchen now has the feel of a ship's engine room, everything is in the right place and I love cooking in it." Costs for structural alterations, glass-fronted breakfast area, services and kitchen was about £70,000.

How to tackle the planning problems

AS A rule, English Heritage (EH) becomes involved in works to Georgian homes only when they are of very special interest and listed Grade I or Grade II*, or when there are substantial works proposed for a Grade II listed home. Most projects do not require the involvement of EH experts.

"The typical Georgian house proposal is for gaining more space by adding a mansard roof or back extension," explains historic buildings inspector Timothy Jones. "Where a terrace has no other mansard roofs, it's rarely possible to start adding to the roof line, and, in terms of back extensions, proposals are judged on their individual merit."

Inside the home, EH is sympathetic to the addition of bathrooms and sometimes allows the removal of walls when not on principal floors.

"Generally, owners of Georgian houses are interested in looking after them and want to make sensitive alterations," adds Jones. "Where we do have an interest, we welcome being contacted before a planning application is made, so there is an opportunity for fine tuning before it is submitted.

"The bottom line is that new work shouldn't dominate the old, and that there should be a clear demarcation between new and old."

Anyone planning building work would be advised to obtain a copy of the EH publication London Terrace Houses 1660-1860: A Guide to Alterations and Extensions, free of charge, by calling 020 7973 3434.

The Georgian Group also has a range of publications on the history and refurbishment of period homes. See www.georgiangroup.org.uk or call 020 7529 8920.

Contacts

The Georgian Group: 020 7529 8920

English Heritage: 020 7973 3434

Form Design Architecture: 020 7407 3336

Plastik Architects: 020 7837 0900

KSR Architects: 020 7692 5000