Contemporary barn conversion in the Cotswolds

Brotherton Barn is a stunning contemporary conversion of a Grade 2 listed detached Cotswold, England stone barn originally constructed circa 1759. The 3,229 square foot structure was designed by The Anderson Orr Partnership, whose clients wished to have an effortless connection between the open plan living area and the secluded master bedroom suite without detracting from the height and volume of the vaulted spaces of the barn.

The second key element for the barn conversion brief was how to design the entrance. With most barn conversions you find giving the building its own distinct entrance difficult because you’re working with the original openings and these tend to be large openings to the sides of the building.

For the principle entrance a single storey element already existed. Both the architects and the client felt they could utilize this element for the entrance by opening up the roof with glazing and inserting a pod which neatly houses the utility and cloakroom. What has been created now gives the approaching visitor a sense of arrival and an idea of what can be expected inside.

More than half the building to the rear section of the barn was lowered into the ground to ensure two storeys could be accommodated within the existing envelope of the barn. In addition the original buttress and stone walls were sensitively repaired and rebuilt; the original roof had also fallen to disrepair and in places collapsed.

To provide the effortless connection between the open plan living area and the secluded master bedroom suite, a floating oak staircase and gallery was designed.

Photographs: David Stewart

Scandinavian apartment with tasteful modern design

This 18th century property, spotted on Fantastic Frank,  is situated in a former inn with only three apartments that have been carefully preserved and restored in Ekensberg, Sweden. With its own entrance with original stone floors and wooden doors and unique floor plan, this special apartment has two rooms, open-plan kitchen with small dining area and living room with variable ceiling height and its own private and inviting patio of about 16 square meters. The 45 square meters apartment features tasteful modern design and function in harmony with details that are preserved from the building. There is also an intimate bedroom and bathroom with tiled floors and underfloor heating and bathtub.

Farmhouse restoration incorporating contemporary elements

This beautiful project focuses on the restoration and expansion of a farmhouse by A2BC Studio on the terraced hillside of Cinque Terre in Liguria, Italy. The main emphasis of the project is on the recovery and emphasis of original materials and construction techniques in a contemporary perspective. The main house has fully retained its structure and distribution while incorporating contemporary elements in substitution for the parts of the building that were not recoverable due to advanced stages of deterioration.

New concrete paving unifies the spaces of the house, white plaster for the interior highlights the stone on the original bearing walls, and the new black window frames create a balanced contrast with the interiors of the house and the framing of the landscape. The furniture is refined yet simple, as it plays on the combination of recovered and modern pieces, using colors that recall those of the surrounding landscape.

The restoration of the main house is complemented by the reconstruction of the adjacent barn, of which only the foundation remained. A simple volume of split stone, typical of Liguria, is hollow to allow for a generous full-height opening towards the sea, whose adjustable brise soleil, the typical Genoese shutters, allow regulation of the light throughout the day. Inside, the smallest spaces, the ‘garden rooms’ (the surface is approximately equal to Le Corbusier’s Cabanon at Cap-Martin) has no more than a bed, water closet, sink, and shower. The scheme is repeated on two floors.

Surry Hills warehouse converted to incredible dwelling

This exclusive 1850s carriage house is one of Surry Hills, a suburb of Sydney, Australia’s finest single dwelling warehouses, which has been designed by Hare & Klein Interior Design. This unique design encompasses 8,395 square feet (780 square meters) of living space spread out across three levels, embracing a convenient cosmopolitan lifestyle.

The home features an incredible open plan with a Blackbutt featured kitchen, casual and formal living area, outdoor entertaining deck, ground floor studio/gallery, four bedrooms including a master bedroom with deluxe en-suite bathroom and spacious guest wing with en-suite bathroom, four car garage with two tandem internal access and unique features such as beautiful fireplace, chic lighting and exposed timber beamed ceilings.

The home was also a shortlisted entry in the 2011 Australian Interior Design Awards.

 Photos: Jenni Hare

Beautiful architecturally salvaged home in Madrid

An elegant and imaginative collage aesthetic permeates this house spotted on Nuevo Esilo, situated in one of the most dynamic areas of Madrid, the Barrio de Las Letras. With an unbeatable blend, interior designer Marie-Caroline Willms, who runs EMCI. ID Projects has achieved an environment full of creativity and surprising contrasts. The home is located in the cultural axis, the Art triangle, which is a valuable factor to boost the reform of an abandoned home during the last hundred years. But, in addition, the floor itself was a diamond for polishing. But with a legacy, the typical distribution of the century past, of labyrinthine corridors, a kitchen away from the rest of the rooms and electrical wiring at the sight, its great potential is intuited under so much decadence.

The objective was starting from scratch, but respecting the identity of the building: “When I saw the high ceilings with crown molding, self-leveling floor… I got excited with its possibilities”. It was necessary to re-distribute the spaces according to the life of the new occupants. The designer restored the original framework, with beams and pillars of wood, and brick walls that were left exposed. The floor became a loft with environments by original combinations, which highlights a subtle elegance and a chic Bohemian flair. The house is a suggestive compilation of trends, well-seasoned with powerful notes of humor, classic refinements, unique accent pieces such as a bouquet of flowers made with colorful balloons in the living room and antiques.

A modern conversion of an historic warehouse

An historic warehouse has been converted into an incredible home on Northumberland Street in Collingwood, Victoria, Australia. Working on the interior of the project was Australian design studio Herniman + Interiors. The project required sensitive design, mixing the charm of the existing brick structure, steel staircase and historic balconies with the modern requirements of a travelling family. The aesthetic is both comfortable and slick, using a palette of monochromatic finishes mixed with warm bamboo flooring and splashes of “Asia”. Co-coordinating with a client that was mostly out of the country required heightened attention to detail and good communication.

Photos:  Courtesy of Herniman + Interiors

Fascinating preservation of former Carnegie Library

This stunning Mill Valley, California home was built in 1910, originally one of the 2,500 libraries that had been built by businessman Andrew Carnegie. When a new library was built in the area 50 years later, this structure became a private residence, with several years of remodels the home fell into disrepair. A local family of four purchased this home in 2008, with none of the original interior intact, only a single bookcase was left in the living room. They called upon Bay Area design firm Union Studio along with custom cabinet and woodworking company, The Last Inch, to redesign the space and preserve what was left of the remaining structure while giving a modern update.

The family that purchased the home is very artist, working in the design field, and wished to create a big and bold interior that would encourage creativity. Solid wide-plank white oak in a matte commercial finish is featured throughout the interior spaces. With exposed brick, steel and wood elements, this fabulous home has an industrial feel yet radiates a warm and cozy ambiance.

The long space allowed for a 16-foot island, perfect for family cooking and entertaining.

The refrigerator doors are cladded hot-rolled steel.

The shape of the skylight mimics the island below, allowing plenty of natural light to penetrate the space, yet still leaving the original roof trusses intact. The block of open cabinetry next to the island also lets light in, as well as separating the staircase from the kitchen area.

A modular cooktop from Gaggenau has downdraft vents, so a hood does not have to hang above. Instead, dramatic black linen pendants draw attention to the space’s high ceilings.

The shelves in the adjacent dining space replaced windows that had been removed during a previous remodel. Although windows were considered, the view was so unpleasant that shelving was installed instead. This change still maintains the structure’s historic exterior.

Photos: Matt Bear / Union Studio

Incredible renovation of an old mercantile building

The Leavitt Residence is an extensive renovation to a 1920′s mercantile building in the Chicago neighborhood of Bucktown by architecture studio Miller Hull Partnership. The 3-story existing structure consisted of heavy timber framing, with brick cladding at the exterior. An effort was made to respect the existing 8,600 square foot building while at the same time inserting dramatic new design gestures. The most significant insertion was to add an expansive window wall which extrudes upward and flows over the roof to create a highly transparent penthouse. The window wall provides connection to a private yard, a valuable asset in this dense urban setting.

he second major undertaking in the building renovation was to replace the east façade which was determined unstable. The solution aims to replicate the rhythm of the existing columns while also announcing a modernist influence at the second level.

Mirroring the triangular footprint of the building, a 3-story triangular shaped atrium is at the heart of the home, giving way to massive timber staircases surrounded by cedar and glass. The original beams and exposed brick juxtapose the modern Arclinea kitchen, echoing the same tension between old and new that’s created by the steel and glass window wall addition.

Photos: Marty Peters

Monumental Coach House breathes new life

A monumental coach house and stable from 1760 has been transformed into a spacious home in Breukelen, Netherlands by Zecc Architects. A mishmash of built curiosities is removed. Historical elements became visible again. The stable, still complete with hay racks and troughs, is used as a living room. The tack room becomes the entrance hall and the coach house the new kitchen. Some over-sized high doors reappeared during the demolition. This created a surprising connection between living room and kitchen. In this high dimension, a new staircase of solid oak wood is placed as a modern addition. It has become the center of the house, and daylight falls from the roof into the new kitchen. A double hood with wooden trusses determines the atmosphere upstairs. A seating arrangement around a wood stove is added as a pleasant lounge. From here the bedrooms and bathrooms are accessible as well.

Unforgettable barn conversion: Roxbury Barn

This chic re-purposed dairy barn in Roxbury, Connecticut, spotted on Sotheby’s Realty was designed by an Oscar winning photographer / inventor and his wife. It was totally rebuilt from the foundation up. A local landmark, the barn has been recognized by the Roxbury Historical Society for the owners’ sensitive yet imaginative preservation and restoration. The owners understood the potential of the large 15,000 square foot barn. The barn is now a fabulous loft- like space with 17 foot ceilings and new banks of windows which bring the outdoors in season by season. There are lovely sweeping pastoral views and brilliant sunsets across the 45 acres of hayfields.

After tearing out the existing feed pipes, stalls, troughs, and, the entire four foot deep foundation a giant shell remained. Not only new walls and new floors but a large radiant heating system was installed as well as new wiring, plumbing, drainage, insulation, and central air conditioning. Materials were recycled when possible; many steel beams came from Connecticut’s old Danbury Fair Grounds. Interior walls were framed for the open public rooms which include two seating areas -one with fireplace, a large dining area and a professional kitchen with wood fired pizza oven.

There are three en-suite bedrooms, a screening room, large office, utility pantries, sauna and a six car garage. Above the living area is a semi-finished studio space where the owners camped out while renovations were taking place. Lately it has been used as an art studio, for photography shoots and dance rehearsals. Living here is like being one with nature, yet less than two hours from Manhattan. The Roxbury Barn is perfect for entertaining and creativity and versatility as well as being great fun to live in.

This incredible barn conversion is listed for sale at $1,599,000 ,from here.