Contemporary Farmhouse in AONB

With experience of a self-build in childhood, our client had always dreamt of building their own home in a rural setting. Restoring and then selling the Grade ll listed The Beehive gave them the opportunity, so they wanted us to design the new home in keeping with the original house.

It was important in planning terms that the two buildings related well to one another with The Beehive governing the height. This meant we had some restrictions to our design and needed to be clever with how we dealt with a reduced floor to ceiling height.

The concept design for the house was contemporary ‘farmhouse’ to sit comfortably in the AONB setting on the fringe of the village. The triangular dormer windows, vaulted ceilings, and exposed steel/oak structure create beautiful spaces with interesting angles and volumes overcoming the sometimes-clinical feeling of a new-build home.

The double volume entrance hall with full height glazing and sweeping staircase to the upper floor has exposed steel and oak trusses, with rooflights to accentuate the height and flood the entrance with natural light. We also used full height internal doors on the ground floor to maximise light throughout the house and create a sense of height and volume.

Every room on the first floor has a magnificent view including all three bathrooms which each have baths to look out from – our client told us how she loves lying in the master bath and watching for shooting stars!

While offering plenty of space for enjoyment and entertaining, this property also has a serious impact in terms of sustainability – Passivhaus principles govern the airtight design and building fabric.

We’ve achieved a home that truly brings the outside in, making the most of both the garden with its ample space for three young children, and the countryside setting.

Photos by Press Play Online.

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