Accessibility, comfort, and sensory control have been central to the design approach. The extension provides a fully accessible bedroom and bathroom suite that can be independently enclosed to create a highly protected environment, both acoustically and in terms of light ingress. This enables periods of complete retreat when required, while still allowing the wider living spaces to remain open and connected at other times. The layout has been developed to be adaptable, recognising that the client’s needs may evolve over time as her condition changes.

In addition to the private bedroom suite, the extension includes a living area, study space and a covered external terrace, supporting increasing independence as the client’s mobility improves, including future wheelchair use. The project also provides wider benefits to the family home, incorporating a new rear entrance, utility room and downstairs WC for the main house.

The building occupies the footprint of a former garage that was recently damaged by fire, allowing the new accommodation to be sensitively integrated within the existing site. Architecturally, the extension draws directly from the language of the main house to create a cohesive addition. Existing datum lines are continued through brick banding, while decorative diamond patterns found on the original elevations are reinterpreted within the new work. The roof pitch mirrors that of the entrance elevation, and a high-level circular window is playfully echoed within the gable, reinforcing the visual relationship between old and new.

Holmfields is conceived as a healthy, restorative environment - a place of calm, dignity, and independence - designed to adapt over time as the client’s needs change, while remaining firmly rooted within the character and context of the existing home.