Grand Oak and Steel Frame Home in Rural Oxfordshire

Finalising the Design

The house has been laid out into two distinct sections, including a wing that Michael wanted to appear like an old one-and-a-half-storey barn, complete with an exposed pitched roof internally. “The agricultural-style element looks as if it’s been there for decades,” he says. “It works very well.”

As part of the plan, a wrought-iron bridge was incorporated to connect the upper floor of the barn-style section to the main house. This striking link crosses a dramatic atrium that’s 6m tall. Michael designed the bridge himself, and it was handmade by master blacksmith Berardo Bianchini (contactable via Michael’s firm, Intelligent Design Homes).

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Brazilian leathered granite worksurfaces add luxury to the painted kitchen by Griggs & Mackay. The floor is of pillowed limestone

“The bridge was inspired by CS Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, a favourite book of mine when I was young,” says Michael. “When the children in the book went through the wardrobe they would enter a wild, overgrown land. That was the effect I was aiming for. The main oak double doors leading into this wing have bespoke wrought iron furniture on them, too. I designed them to look like a safe,” he says.

Construction Begins

The home was designed by Lapd Architects, and once this scheme had been consolidated, planning permission was granted within eight weeks. Intelligent Design Homes then spent the next 18 months building the 430m2 property.

The accommodation comprises a drawing room, study, shower room, gym and utility room with four ensuite bedrooms above. The barn-style wing contains the main living zones, such as the open-plan kitchen-living-diner and the master bedroom, complete with dressing room leading on to the ensuite bathing zone.

An oak frame structure encased in brick and block was used to construct the agricultural-style wing of the house. The whole thing is connected together with steel ties. “Bringing the various types of construction to work together, meeting at the right height and the correct place, was the biggest challenge we faced,” says Michael. “I must have checked those measurements four times.”

The grand, L-shaped oak home features a raised patio area to the rear and side, which can be used for bbqs, outdoor dining and enjoying the beautiful garden views

Oakwrights supplied the oak frame superstructure, which was sandblasted to clean the surface of the timber post-build. “When green oak is first cut lots of tannins appear, and where the material has been hand-sawn, the wood goes black,” says Michael.

The roof is finished with handmade clay tiles, which complement the reclaimed-style external brickwork. Michael was keen to use the best replicas of traditional handcrafted bricks he could find, and ended up sourcing these from Denmark.

The Moores were keen to incorporate a high level of insulation throughout the dwelling. The wing features 170mm-thick cavity wall insulation, plus 200mm in the ceiling and a 125mm layer beneath the underfloor heating, to stop the heat from escaping from below. In the main house, 170mm of DriTherm was installed in the wall cavities, 15mm of Celotex between the ceiling rafters and 200mm between the floors. The roof contains 150mm of Celotex and is lined with the company’s 52.5mm insulated plasterboard.

Eco joists, which feature an open metal web for services to run through, were installed for the first floor structure. “They’re simpler to work with rather than traditional solid wood joists,” says Michael. Upstairs, the radiators are replicas of heritage cast iron radiators but with black nickel accessories for a contemporary touch.

Double glazing has been installed throughout the house. “I designed all the windows, bifold entrances and internal doors, which were handmade by our local joiner,” says Michael. “I was also responsible for the architraves and skirtings, which were handcrafted by ourselves and a local professional. The design of all the balustrades took many months of planning between Berardo the master blacksmith and myself.”

Learn More: Home Insulation: Best Ways to Reduce Heat Loss & Stay Warm

Gathering Inspiration for the New Home

As the building work progressed, fresh creative ideas occurred to Michael, some of which he was able to add in as he went along. For example, there is now a magnificent double-height reception hall with an oak floor and a huge picture window, providing stunning views through to the marble terrace and garden.

The sitting room has a vaulted ceiling and an exposed brick wall, plus a woodburning stove and oak framed double doors leading to the terrace. Even the low-set windows in the main bedroom have been deliberately designed so the couple can look over their one-and-a-quarter acres of garden while in bed.

The living room features a wow-factor suspended fire, which brings a contemporary feeling to the otherwise traditional scheme

There are two staircases; the main one is hand-carved in oak and rises gracefully to the first floor, with a large window overlooking the garden. The second flight leads up to the storage lofts. The painted kitchen was handmade and oak-lined by Griggs and McKay, and features Brazilian leathered granite worktops for a textural finish. The bathrooms were supplied by William Holland – highlights include French marble flooring and a stylish bateau tub.

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Attention to detail runs throughout the furniture, fittings and finishes. The handmade bespoke dining table, for instance, sits underneath an extremely rare light fitting. It is one of only two that used to hang over the tables in the Cabinet War Rooms during World War II, and came via Skintflint.

A handmade bespoke table gives the dining room extra personality

The sofas were made by Ham Interiors. As for the chandeliers over the bridge, stairs and in the drawing room, these were all handmade by French firm Luminaire using traditional methods.

The handcrafted door furniture was supplied by Philip Watts Design, which specialises in one-off pieces. Each of these elements plays its part in making this house a unique home – and Michael is understandably delighted with the results. “This is the most romantic, magical house I have ever designed and built, and one that will be hard for me to beat,” he says. “Everyone who has seen our finished home has been overwhelmed by the quality of the workmanship and the design. It’s beyond beautiful and so well considered in every aspect.”

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