Persuading housebuilders that small is beautiful is no easy task, but it is
one to which Nicole Edmonds is committed. The rise in building costs should
make us all reconsider how much living space we actually need, she says. But
it is her completed projects that really make her case.
Edmonds, who runs her one-woman architectural practice from a former fisherman’s
cottage in the village of Findhorn on the Moray coast, has remodelled some
tiny spaces, with striking results, including a former bothy and a
traditional highland cottage.
Her most remarkable transformation is of a 1950s semi that started life as a
council house. Edmonds, 47, was asked to come up with some creative ideas
that would improve Iain Campbell’s bungalow, situated just round the corner
from her home.
From the outside, the building does not look that different from before.
Edmonds explains: “Old buildings like this look best with a window that is
authentic. We picked one that balances conservation needs with aesthetic
concerns and a need for energy-efficiency.”
Campbell, a former town planner, was convinced the house — which he bought
four years ago for £100,000 — had potential. Stepping into his open-plan
living area, infused with daylight from three points of the compass, it is
evident his hunch was correct.
“Everyone says town planners are frustrated architects,” he says. “And I just
love what Nicole has done. The house has so much space and light, and it’s
easy to get about.”
The most impressive design feature is the circular wall that encloses the
bathroom. Its smooth contours have a similar effect to a pillar, enhancing
the space without breaking it up into boxes. Edmond hit upon the idea when
trying to fit a downstairs lavatory into her own tiny cottage.
“When my parents last visited, they remarked that I could do with a downstairs
loo. I was loath to eat into
studio space, so I experimented with curves and found them much less
intrusive,” she says.
Other events have conspired to give Edmond’s work an edge. In 1990, she was on
her way to a job in Paris when she decided to make a quick visit to the
Findhorn Foundation, a new-age community. She ended up staying for four
years and spent a considerable amount of time doing hands-on building work.
There, she also designed a high-spec house made of old whisky barrels,
integrating stone and wood.
“I always had this interest in materials and touching them and understanding
how they go together,” she says. “One thing I noticed when I was at
architectural school in London was that there was a big rift between
architectural practices and the builders on site.
“At Findhorn, I narrowed that gap. Having gone on site myself, done the work,
got my hands dirty and learnt about what really matters, it has become
easier to communicate with builders.”
She has also been involved in cutting-edge research centred on the use of natural,
nontoxic materials and recycled components.
Although many clients start out wanting every green gadget imaginable, Edmonds
advises caution. “The materials and systems that are less visible actually
have greatest importance. For example, if you put more investment into
buying thicker and more efficient insulation, it’s not going to make your
house visually particularly different, but it will enhance your experience
of living there.
“I think the paybacks from these invisible things are more worthy than
some of the things that are getting promoted nationwide, such as
photovoltaics [solar panels].”
While working on Campbell’s bungalow, which has been thoroughly insulated,
Edmonds experienced a growing respect for its designers.
“The house is essentially well built and practical. There is plenty of room
for storage, and some of the original features, such as the internal doors,
are lovely,” she says.
The soundproofing is also effective. Campbell hears no noise from the family
of five next door.
However, there was no getting away from the pokiness of the house. In its
original form, a tiny entrance hall extended into a narrow passage, from
which the rooms were accessed.
Edmonds did away with four internal walls. This leaves one self-contained room
at the front of the house and another — the master bedroom — at the back.
The living area has two zones. One is used as an office space, spare bedroom
and place to catch the evening sun, while the main living area links to a
small, functional kitchen. French windows open from the kitchen to the
garden and, together with a skylight, they bring extra light in to the
property.
Adequate storage is vital to making a small space work.
“Some people are better at clearing out than others, but everybody seems to
need storage,” says Edmonds. “Fitting in those things in an efficient and
elegant way so they contribute to a space is the challenge.”
The total budget for the refurbishment was £60,000, so any ideas of
purpose-built wardrobes had to be shelved. Instead, Edmonds created a small
perpendicular extension to the master bedroom wall in order to create a
hanging space, concealed by a curtain.
Campbell, who buys and sells china and glassware on the internet, has some
fine examples of brightly coloured vases from the same era as the house. In
the bathroom, he has mounted posy bowls on the wall to great effect. Some
similarly vivid pieces provide a vibrant display in the living room.
On all her projects, Edmonds says she tries to “ensure that even in a tiny
space my clients can have a feeling of breathing and generosity that you
wouldn’t necessarily expect”.
The ability to create an illusion of space is exemplified in a bothy
conversion she designed several years ago. The structure measured just 16 ft
x 30 ft, but Edmonds added a mezzanine bedroom and turned the space beneath
the sleeping area into cleverly concealed storage. The kitchen is housed in
a small, sympathetic wooden extension that doubles as a porch.
Once planning permission is granted, Edmonds will be undertaking an unusual
building project on the Isle of Lewis. Stone from an old sheep fank will be
used for both the walls of the house and to create a sheltered garden.
Having deliberated on sustainable housing, Edmonds believes we must consider
upgrading more structures. She believes renovation and refurbishment are
almost always more energy-efficient — in terms of the amount of energy it
takes to create a serviceable structure — than building from scratch. Her
conviction helped her win an award from the Inverness Architectural
Association for “best new life of old buildings”.
“My sense is we need to live more lightly on this planet,” she says. “I feel
we are custodians of this land, and we need to care for it. Covering it with
vast amounts of concrete and steel and structures is not the way to go.”
Nicole Edmonds, Edge Architecture and Design, 01309 691 408
