With a focus on contemporary family living and energy efficiency, Will and Donna Lawrence took on their first ever major project in the suburbs of Sheffield

WORDS CASSIE PRYCE PHOTOS JEREMY PHILLIPS

Keen to plan ahead for future family life, Will and Donna Lawrence decided to take the plunge and create their own dream home. Parents to two young daughters, the couple wanted to design a space that would suit their lifestyle for years to come. Having never taken on a big building project before, Will in particular was inspired by lots of the contemporary projects he’d seen in magazines and on television. As a result, he craved a property with a striking architectural identity that could operate as a low-energy dwelling.

Finding the right location to carry out their scheme took the Lawrences nearly two years, before they discovered a site in Sheffield that captured their interest. “At first, we’d planned to build from scratch, but we found it difficult to identify the right piece of land,” says Will. “We didn’t know Sheffield particularly well, but we’d done our research and were confident that the area had a good reputation, so we started to view homes that had renovation potential.”

Having looked at six houses over the course of half a year, the pair spotted a 1950s property and quickly fell in love with the farreaching views from the rear. But while it ticked all the boxes when it came to location, in terms of functionality and longevity it wasn’t well-suited to the Lawrences’ lifestyle. In fact, the existing layout needed a dramatic overhaul to make it work for the family.

“Of the three floors, none quite suited our day-to-day needs, and we wanted each level to feel more spacious and have a better flow between the storeys,” says Will. “We found our architect, Ce + Ca Studio, through a Google search and really liked the look of some of their previous projects. We provided them with lots of detail as to what we did and didn’t like about the existing property and what we hoped to get out of the updated design.” New to the build process, the couple also took on plenty of the firm’s ideas, too.