Wrap House

The clients for the Wrap House project sought to remodel and extend their slightly dilapidated Victorian terraced home in Winchester. While they were drawn to the property’s historic character and central location, the existing house was too small and lacked the spatial quality and flexibility required for contemporary family living.

The original ground floor arrangement felt constrained and disconnected from the garden, with limited natural light penetrating deep into the plan. The challenge was to create a generous and adaptable living environment for a young family while carefully retaining and celebrating the building’s Victorian fabric.

A key design intervention was the relocation of the bathroom to the first floor, positioned above the existing staircase. This strategic move unlocked the ground floor plan, allowing the rear of the property to be transformed into a single open and flexible kitchen, dining, and living space.

Large sliding glazed doors provide direct access to the east-facing garden, while extensive rear glazing and roof lights dissolve the boundary between inside and outside, drawing natural light deep into the home.

The rear elevation was conceived as a singular wrapping architectural element that integrates canopy, bench, and raised planter into one continuous form. This ‘wrap’ visually connects the building with the garden and frames the hardwood timber decked terrace.

Internally, the material palette was intentionally restrained, combining exposed Victorian clay brick chimney breasts, European oak flooring, and expansive glazing to create a warm and contemporary family home that remains rooted in the character of the original building.

Completed in June 2017.