Houzz Tour: Contemporary Family Home Blends In With Its Rural Setting
This new build is modern, open and full of light, yet it fits in with its traditional English backdrop
It’s gutsy to build a modern family home in a traditional rural village, but the team at Mailen Design used its creative judgment to achieve just the right balance of old and new. The resulting modern property is a marriage of vernacular materials and contemporary form in Long Crendon, in the county of Buckinghamshire, England.
“We tried hard to avoid transplanting a slick city house into historic Buckinghamshire,” says Kieran Hawkins, architectural director of Mailen Design. “Our aim was to construct a home that had the clarity and strength of an agricultural building while providing an uplifting backdrop to daily life for the family.”
The owners were moving from the city and were keen for a design that felt like “Viking longhouse meets New York loft apartment,” the architect says. “Their philosophy on the project was this: Each decision you make should move you toward a simpler life.”
“We tried hard to avoid transplanting a slick city house into historic Buckinghamshire,” says Kieran Hawkins, architectural director of Mailen Design. “Our aim was to construct a home that had the clarity and strength of an agricultural building while providing an uplifting backdrop to daily life for the family.”
The owners were moving from the city and were keen for a design that felt like “Viking longhouse meets New York loft apartment,” the architect says. “Their philosophy on the project was this: Each decision you make should move you toward a simpler life.”
“The clients had bought the land with roughly outlined planning approval already in place for a traditional barn-style building,” Hawkins says, “but their ideas and tastes were more contemporary.”
It was crucial, though, that the building retain a recognizably traditional form, but with a sharp, modern outline and using a blend of old and new materials.
“The structurally insulated panels used to build the house offer rapid construction and exceptional environmental performance,” Hawkins says. “The clients have found the house is so well insulated they very rarely have to use the heating, even in winter. Friends think the concrete has underfloor heating, but it’s just the stored heat from the sunlight coming through the windows.”
Aluminum windows and doors: Velfac; clay roof tiles: Marley Eternit
It was crucial, though, that the building retain a recognizably traditional form, but with a sharp, modern outline and using a blend of old and new materials.
“The structurally insulated panels used to build the house offer rapid construction and exceptional environmental performance,” Hawkins says. “The clients have found the house is so well insulated they very rarely have to use the heating, even in winter. Friends think the concrete has underfloor heating, but it’s just the stored heat from the sunlight coming through the windows.”
Aluminum windows and doors: Velfac; clay roof tiles: Marley Eternit
The contemporary, flat-front door was made of engineered wood by the contractor and painted in a gray blue for a bold, modern statement.
Door paint: Stiffkey Blue, Farrow & Ball
Door paint: Stiffkey Blue, Farrow & Ball
“When you enter the house, you’re presented with views across the whole ground floor, upwards to the bedrooms and through the roof lights to the trees and clouds beyond,” Hawkins says. “We hoped to offer a sense of arrival into somewhere special.”
The walls downstairs are painted in a very pale gray, which marries harmoniously with the plywood stairs for a contemporary, pared-back feel.
Vitra Eames Hang It All coat rack: Nest; ceramic light fitting: Trainspotters; wall paint: Ammonite, Farrow & Ball
The walls downstairs are painted in a very pale gray, which marries harmoniously with the plywood stairs for a contemporary, pared-back feel.
Vitra Eames Hang It All coat rack: Nest; ceramic light fitting: Trainspotters; wall paint: Ammonite, Farrow & Ball
To enhance the flow of the space, pale, natural materials were used inside and out. The partially polished concrete floors in the kitchen and hallway lead to Douglas fir floorboards in the living room, finished with a white oil.
Leather sofa: Heal’s; Muuto E27 pendant light: Made in Design
Leather sofa: Heal’s; Muuto E27 pendant light: Made in Design
The neutral living room is furnished with an easy-on-the-eye mix of simple, classic seating, a wood-burning stove and splashes of citrus yellow. Full-height cupboards next to the window, built by the contractor, offer plenty of storage space.
Rug: Habitat; Squirrel wood-burner: Morso; Mosto plaster wall light: Holloways of Ludlow
Rug: Habitat; Squirrel wood-burner: Morso; Mosto plaster wall light: Holloways of Ludlow
“The clients like to cook and entertain and wanted a simple kitchen with lots of natural light,” Hawkins says. The Ikea cabinets are topped with a plywood countertop, which is echoed in the custom plywood shelves and cover around the exhaust fan.
It was the clients’ idea to paint half the kitchen dark blue. “It breaks up the wall surface and adds color,” Hawkins says.
The sideboard is a vintage piece by McIntosh of Kirkcaldy and was given to one of the clients by grandparents.
Wall paint: Stiffkey Blue, Farrow & Ball
The sideboard is a vintage piece by McIntosh of Kirkcaldy and was given to one of the clients by grandparents.
Wall paint: Stiffkey Blue, Farrow & Ball
Pale plywood — seen here in the paneling on either side of the patio doors — is used throughout the house, lending it a distinctly Scandinavian flavor.
Dining table: Ercol; Eames DSW chairs: The Conran Shop; Muuto E27 pendant light: Made in Design
Dining table: Ercol; Eames DSW chairs: The Conran Shop; Muuto E27 pendant light: Made in Design
“The split-level design of the home was very important in order to provide enough space and a sense of connection between different parts of the house,” Hawkins says. The bedrooms feel connected to the ground floor, but separated enough to give a sense of privacy. The plywood stairs and handrails are pale, sleek and fuss-free.
Upstairs, the pale plywood landing — a favorite spot of the family dog — is flooded with light thanks to large skylights.
A trio of bare bulbs lends an industrial look and a synergy between upstairs and down. “The timber beams are required for the structure,” Hawkins notes. “We left them exposed because the client wanted the building to be as pared-back as possible, with the structure on show.”
Muuto E27 pendant lights: Made in Design
Muuto E27 pendant lights: Made in Design
Small internal windows open from each bedroom onto the double-height hallway below. “The hatches felt right from the first time we sketched them,” Hawkins says. “They allow the clients to enjoy the double-height hallway from the bedrooms and to connect the first floor and ground floor in a way that gives them options of varying privacy levels.” They also allow easy communication between the bedrooms.
The family bathroom continues the pared-back theme with plywood paneling and light, neutral shades.
Sink and bathtub: Duravit; faucets: Hansgrohe; Chalk Farm tiles: Walls and Floors
Sink and bathtub: Duravit; faucets: Hansgrohe; Chalk Farm tiles: Walls and Floors
Plans of the ground floor, above, and upper floor, below, show how the space has been laid out.
Contractor: Link Development & Groundworks
Contractor: Link Development & Groundworks
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Who lives here: A couple and their 5-year-old son, plus the family dog
Location: Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire county, England
Size: Three bedrooms, two bathrooms
Architect: Mailen Design
What looks like a traditional barn from the outside opens up into a thoroughly modern, free-flowing layout. The house has few walls and doors, and its double-height spaces are flooded with light.
“The design developed within unusually tight parameters due to town planning, timescale and budget,” says Kieran Hawkins, architectural director of Mailen Design. “It was fantastic for us that, despite these constraints, the clients were always very clear on what they wanted: a unique and delightful family home that’s open, full of light and crisply built, but in keeping with a rural English setting.”