UK studio Klas Hyllén Architecture‘s retrofit of Sky House, a 1970s bungalow that steps down a hillside in south west England, is the focus of this Dezeen Exclusive.
Klas Hyllén Architecture (KHA) was tasked with updating the home to better accommodate family life and to take advantage of the site’s vantage point, which offers dramatic views across the surroundings and the sky.
To achieve this, the studio introduced a glazed link area at the centre of Sky House that both separates the interior into distinct living and bedroom volumes and helps pull light and views into the heart of the plan.
Klas Hyllén Architecture has updated a 1970s bungalow in England
“From the outset, we wanted to celebrate the site’s defining feature, the views across the landscape which are dominated by the sky,” founder Klas Hyllén told Dezeen.
“The design seeks to capture and celebrate this constantly shifting canvas of English weather to create a house anchored in its landscape,” he added.
Stone steps lined with terraced planters lead beneath a small canopy into Sky House’s entrance area, which separates three bedrooms to the east from the living areas above.
The kitchen occupies a link volume
The kitchen and dining area occupies the glazed link volume, where a large corner window with a built-in bench looks out towards the horizon. There is also a long skylight crossed by the timber roof beams that filters in daylight.
This space is overlooked by the main living area positioned a half level above, where a concealed bookshelf door leads through into a more private zone containing the main bedroom suite, guest room and a study.
It features a large corner window with a built-in bench
“Spatially, the moment of arriving in the main living volume, open to the ridge and animated by shifting daylight from skylights and long views, captures the essence of the project: a home defined by clarity, openness, and connection to its setting,” Hyllén said.
“The entry sequence is generous and deliberately practical for family life, with service spaces to one side and bedrooms to the other,” he added.
DeDraft updates modernist home set within East Sussex garden
The majority of the existing bungalow’s structure was retained for Sky House, with its energy performance upgraded through the addition of new insulation and triple glazing.
Externally, the bungalow has been transformed with Creeton limestone cladding and whitewashed British larch, which Klas Hyllén Architecture carried through to a pair of stepped patios paved in pale stone and lined by slatted timber fences and planters.
Sky House’s entrance area is “generous and deliberately practical”
“The stone is laid with open joints to reference local dry-stone walls, while the timber cladding varies in board width to introduce a quiet rhythm and avoid awkward junctions with existing openings,” Hyllén explained.
Originally from Sweden, Hyllén founded his eponymous studio in the UK in 2013. Previous projects by Klas Hyllén Architecture include a pale brick pool house in Warwickshire topped by a long skylight for stargazing.
The exterior has been updated with limestone cladding and whitewashed British larch
Another English house renovation recently featured on Dezeen was TH Residence by DeDraft. The studio overhauled the 1960s home in East Sussex using a palette of warm wood and ceramic tiles.
The photography is by Dave Watts.