A serene country retreat drawn from a former cowshed by our new Rising Star
The idea of the ‘English country house’ tends to conjure up images of highly layered interiors, filled with generations' worth of accumulated stuff. But there is something incredibly refreshing about the idea of retreating from the busy world of the city to an utterly tranquil and composed environment. That was the idea behind this elegant house in the countryside of southern England, conjured up from an old cowshed by interior designer Alice B Davies in collaboration with Adam Architecture. “The clients had a very clear idea of what they wanted,” explains Alice, “which was a beautiful, restrained, minimal and contemporary space, somewhere they could completely switch off.”
The house is formed of an impressive double height central space with two wings at either side to house the bedrooms and kitchen. The original building became one wing of the house, and the rest was built out from there in a similar style. George Saumarez Smith's team at Adam Architecture, a practice best known for houses in the classical tradition, worked with Alice to design the new building, and adapted seamlessly to a more modern project. “The idea was to end up with a design that would sit comfortably between a traditional and contemporary style,” says Alice, "and their expertise really worked for that. The exterior is still that of a traditional farm building, but we had this opportunity to create something contemporary on the interior."
The exterior, built in brick and flint, does indeed hint at the humble origins of the building, but once inside, little else does. The spaces are all generous, open and filled with light. Allowing as much light into the rooms as possible was a key tenet of the design process, and many of the rooms on the ground floors have large french windows that open directly onto the garden. When the basement was dug out to allow more space for a family room and utility rooms, a large light well was added, allowing the space to feel almost as airy as those above. The views from the house were another compelling reason to make the most of the windows; the house is in the middle of rolling fields and meadows, with no neighbour or road in sight. “Being connected to the to the outside was very important to the clients, so in every room, you're very aware of the surrounding landscape," adds Alice.
The clients' minimalist tastes set the direction for the interior, but a minimalist space still needs areas of interest, which Alice set about devising. “The clients were keen to keep to a very restrained palette,” she notes, “and I think it's really important in that kind of space that everything has a texture of some kind, whether visual or physical." Timber runs throughout the house, from the oak joinery in each room and the reclaimed beams in the ceiling to the Douglas fir on the floor, which lends warmth and softness, and a sense of the natural world. While the walls and ceilings might at first appear to be plain and simple, they are in fact finished in Marmorino, a specialist plaster finish composed of lime and marble dust, which was first used by the Romans. “Marmorino gives surfaces a really beautiful life,” says Alice, “and it reacts in an interesting way to different light levels.”
Stone is a key theme that runs throughout the house, and while it adds movement and life in the walls in its crushed form, elsewhere it brings a sense of monumentality and impressiveness. Alice has used large monolithic pieces of limestone in key places in the house, inspired by an old stone cattle trough found on the site. One forms the hearth in the main sitting room, another appears to prop up the kitchen countertop, and a giant bathtub in the onsen-inspired spa is carved from a third. “They're all solid pieces,” says Alice. “We wanted them to feel like they just been quarried and brought into the house as whole pieces, which is basically what happened!” Each has a different texture, but they all have distinctive vertical lines drilled down the sides, which are formed as they are dug out from the quarry. It's not something you can easily recreate."
All this has created a beautiful and intriguing backdrop for a pared-back collection of furniture and objects. There is little in the house that is not needed, but each piece is striking in its form and lines. A few judiciously chosen vernacular antiques and rough-hewn tables add patina and character, mingling with luxurious new pieces and mid-century designs. Colour makes occasional appearances here and there as an element of surprise: the deep red of the vast sofa in the basement sitting room, and the inviting blue and red limewashed walls in the guest rooms. As a vision of serene family life in the country, a true retreat from the clutter of everyday life, it is immensely appealing.
Michael Sinclair1/11At the far end of the dining room, the island seems to rest on one of the large limestone blocks quarried especially for the house.
Michael Sinclair2/11In the dining area, a solid walnut table from Galvin Brothers is paired with a vintage Moroccan rug. A Collette LaVette painting from Partnership Editions sits atop a textured oak sideboard from 1stDibs; the pendant is from Pinch, made from a banana fibre fabric.
Michael Sinclair3/11An antique wine table stands next to the built in sofa, which is upholstered in a heavy red linen. The wall light is by Allied Maker.
Michael Sinclair4/11The staircase is constructed in limestone and Marmorino staircase with a bronze banister.
Michael Sinclair5/11The basement sitting room has huge glass doors and a mixture of contemporary, antique and mid-century furniture. The wall lights are by Allied Maker.
Michael Sinclair6/11The painting on the sideboard is by Lucia Pearla.
Michael Sinclair7/11Another painting by Lucia Pearla is paired with a vintage Swedish rya rug.
Michael Sinclair8/11This spa room was inspired by Japanese onsens, and features a steam room, along with a solid limestone bath and heated limestone platform. The wall lights are by Allied Maker.
Michael Sinclair9/11A simple, low bed upholstered in a delicately textured natural wool fabric sits under a mid-century artwork by Alice Adams in the main bedroom.
Michael Sinclair10/11One of the guest rooms on the ground floor features red limewash on the walls and ceilings, and a bed upholstered in red velvet.
Michael Sinclair11/11The second guest bedroom has blue limewash on the walls and ceilings, paired with walnut antique side tables and Delft accessories.
