In Victorian times, Inkerman Road and the surrounding streets in St Albans used to be have many straw hat factories. The tightly-knit streets of terraced houses were mostly factory workers’ cottages.
Walking around the area today, remnants of its hat making industrial past is still very much evident, with The Old Hat Factory and Milliner’s Court standing out proudly as modern residential conversions just around the corner.
After a thoughtful and sympathetic renovation, this house was listed for sale but attracted little interests. The main feedbacks were that it lacked a dining space, and the small box room couldn’t possibly fit in a single bed.
We re-positioned the sofa to zone in the lounge area, and created a cosy dining area without blocking the access into the kitchen. We also furnished the single bedroom and turned it into a functional second bedroom.