Surrey Homes | SH59 | September 2019 | Education supplement inside

This page: The dimensions of the spaces change as you move upstairs into a huge landing area, complete with an enormous
chandelier salvaged from the Brighton Pavilion
The architect they chose for the extension is another
local, Guy Hollaway, who is well known for designing
many prestigious buildings in the area. The brief was to
have as much glass and as little frame as possible – the
sliding doors have a really slim profile of 19mm.
“They’re positioned so that the glass extends way
beyond the ceiling height,” explains Robey, “so
there’s no bulkhead above the steel – it makes a huge
difference to the view.” And to the budget – but this
is where, to get the best end result, the integrity of
the design has to take precedence over the cost.
For privacy in the evenings, when the back of the house
could look a little like an aquarium, they have installed sleek
electric blinds. These are the same colour as the walls and at
the touch of a button, slide up out of view when not in use.
The Italian Doimo kitchen is streamlined and understated,
serving as much as an entertaining space as a functional
kitchen. The units are black wood and brass, with sink and
counter tops in polished concrete. Robey has cleverly made
a slimline table out of an old Victorian door and corner
seating area from some leftover wood from the garden.
Most of the lighting throughout the house is by Pooky
in Chelsea Harbour. Some of the furniture in the open
plan living space is from Darlings of Chelsea, but the table
and chairs are from Ikea and the red chairs are from Made.
com. Robey has revamped an old desk by the lobby and
up-cycled a dressing table into a stylish sideboard. The
eclectic mix of furniture on this floor appears to reflect
the couple’s ingenuity and ability to combine different
elements into a coherent, cool, but comfortable look.
Downstairs there is a mini-gym and garden room;
more sliding doors lead out into the garden across
porcelain paving, carefully chosen to blend the
divide between the inside and the terrace, so that the
interior effortlessly melds into the room outside.
Creating the ground floor and landscaping the garden
has been quite a project. “It’s all about the levels,” explains
Robey. “The landscapers had to dig out layers and layers
of concrete and excavate the area until it was seamlessly
level with the ground floor of the newly replaced two
storey glass extension.” They rendered the upper rear of the
property and garden walls, replaced the existing fencing
with bespoke, breakwater style panels at the end of the
garden and designed an oak terrace with an oak boardwalk
leading down to the gate with the beach beyond.
Flanked by pebbles, the boardwalk is silvering down
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