Limitless Living.
Our client approached us initially to extend his cottage. A real cutie, the house already had lovely spatial qualities and an appealing sense of character.
O R A K E I
During the design stage, our client received a life-changing diagnosis. Suddenly, mobility and accessibility weren’t just considerations — they became essential to ensuring he could continue living comfortably in the home he loved.
With a strong passion and experience for designing accessible and mobile designs, Carolyn and Hilary relished the challenge to meet the required changes. Their goal was to create a home that inspite of all its accessible requirements would be a stylish example of what a modest fully accessible home might look like.
The final design includes a new wing with a generous bedroom, fully accessible wet-room, and a garage with discreet ramped access. Inside the original footprint, smaller rooms were opened up to create a light-filled, north-facing living space that flows effortlessly onto a sunny deck and garden — all designed with seamless thresholds for ease of movement. The bathrooms were also carefully reimagined to combine accessibility with comfort and contemporary design.
This project stands as a thoughtful example of how accessible architecture can still feel like home.
Reconfigured and modernized, with improved accessibility at its core.
An added challenge for Smith+Scully was ensuring our client could continue living in his home throughout construction. It required thoughtful staging and a skilled, considerate builder — and Dan Power and his team delivered. The new wing, complete with accessible bedroom, bathroom, and garage, was fully completed before carefully opening into the existing cottage to rework the living areas and bathrooms. All this was achieved while navigating a global pandemic and our client’s evolving health needs — a true team effort under extraordinary circumstances.
Many thanks to:
Contractor - Dan Power
Photographs - Sam Harnett
rest in peace Simon…
Featured.
“I believe living in a well designed space is vital for people’s well-being, but especially so in the case of those suffering from mobility or other disability issues. Carolyn and the team were brilliant. They patiently listened to my ideas and came up with the perfect design including everything that I wanted. The result is a house that is warm, functional and very stylish”