The first change is felt in the ceiling line. By trimming the beams, the basement gained the headroom it had been missing, and the lower level could finally be used as part of the home rather than a storage space beneath it. That shift set the tone for the entire home renovation: a townhouse renovation built around better movement, more light, and a clearer relationship with the garden.

In the converted basement living space, the plan now holds a guest room with its own bathroom and a large playroom facing the garden. A new opening at the rear of the house gives the lower floor a direct route outside, so the rooms no longer stop at the wall. The path now reaches the garden in one clear line, which gives the basement a role far beyond its original low ceiling and generous footprint.

A basement turned into a usable living floor

The most important spatial move happened below ground. The beams were slimmed down, and that single intervention changed the proportions throughout the level. Where the ceiling once pressed down on the room, there is now enough standing height to place daily functions with ease. The guest room sits with its own bathroom, while the playroom opens toward the garden side, giving the floor a steady connection to daylight and outside movement.

This basement converted into living space is not treated as an afterthought. It is laid out as a full floor, with rooms that can be entered, used, and left without passing through cramped transitional zones. The new rear glazing creates that direct link to the garden the house had been missing. From inside, the view lands on the outside space almost immediately, which makes the lower level feel anchored to the plot rather than cut off from it.

Light and access at the rear of the house

At the back, the new opening does more than admit light. It gives the basement a clear threshold and a practical route outdoors. The opening sits where the former rear wall used to hold the space closed, and the result is a stronger sense of direction through the house. The garden is no longer a separate destination reached only from above; it becomes part of the daily route from the lower floor.

That same idea returns at the upper level through floor-to-ceiling sliding doors and a full-height folding element in the living kitchen. These glazed panels extend the daylight across the room and widen the view toward the balcony and garden stairs. When opened, they remove the hard edge between inside and outside. When closed, they still keep the room visually tied to the exterior through their full-height surface and clear proportions.

A kitchen with island on the bel étage

The bel étage has been given back its role as the main living floor. A large kitchen with island now sits at the center of the level, with enough room around it for movement, cooking, and everyday use. The island stretches the length of the room in the way a proper working surface should: as a place for preparation, conversation, and a view toward the garden opening. The custom wood kitchen wall brings storage into a single read, so the room stays calm even with a strong central layout.

That kitchen also benefits from the vertical opening at the rear. The full-height folding element sits beside a new balcony and an exterior stair down to the garden, creating a stepped sequence from interior floor to outside level. This is where the home renovation becomes most visible. The room receives daylight from the glazed opening, the balcony extends the living zone outward, and the stair gives the whole arrangement a direct and practical route to the garden below.

Wood, stone and a clear working line

The kitchen reads through a few strong surfaces rather than many competing finishes. The island’s stone-look worktop gives the center of the room weight, while the custom wood kitchen wall adds vertical rhythm and storage. In the images, the timber fronts are drawn in clean lines, with open shelving and lighting set into the wall. The result is a working kitchen that does not rely on ornament. Its strength comes from proportion, storage, and the way the materials sit against the white room envelope.

Seen from the dining side, the room is open but not vague. The table, island, and glazing each hold a clear zone. Overhead pendants mark the island, while the large windows pull the eye toward the garden and terrace. That ordering matters in a townhouse renovation, where rooms often have to do several jobs without losing legibility. Here, the kitchen with island remains the anchor, and the rest of the floor falls into place around it.

Original details held against the new work

Inside the house, the renovation keeps the original stair balustrades and mouldings in view. They sit against updated materials and modern techniques, so the contrast is visible rather than decorative. White wall panels, crisp trim, and the drawn line of the stair give the rooms a measured backdrop for the new interventions. This is where the project avoids flattening the house into one style. Instead, the old frame is left readable while the new plan does the practical work.

Wood pivot doors form one of the strongest moments in that mix. They are a modern system, but the material choice lets them sit comfortably with the older character of the building. Their pivot action gives the doorway more presence than a standard swing door, and the timber surface softens the transition between rooms. In a house where original balustrades and plaster details remain visible, the doors act as a clear bridge between older structure and newer use.

A townhouse renovation that reads in layers

The project works because each floor now has a specific role. The basement converted into living space gives the lower level real domestic use. The bel étage carries the kitchen and main living functions. Between those two levels, the stair, the landings, and the openings keep sightlines moving through the house. The result is not a single showpiece room but a sequence of clearly defined spaces, each shaped by light, access, and material choice.

What stands out most is the way the house opens toward the garden without losing its inner structure. The full-height glazing, the new rear opening, and the balcony stair all extend the living area outward, while the retained mouldings, stair rail, and timber pivot doors keep the interior tied to its original setting. It is a home renovation that changes the way the house is used every day, from the lower floor up to the main living level.

Photography: Wim Hanenberg