Willow

The clients wanted a coherent home and landscape that would allow them to entertain and host family, make the most of the garden throughout the day, and would see them through their later years and potential mobility decline.

We portioned the accommodation out into different volumes to create visual interest and to break down the overall mass. Two main blocks house the primary spaces across 2 storeys. The Northern-most cuboid contains more shared spaces: an open plan dining and kitchen area at ground floor level and guest accommodation at first floor. The other cuboid houses more private functions: living room and snug at ground level, and master suites above. The two volumes are connected by a 2-storey glazed entrance hall, giving a dramatic entrance with a view down the garden and maintaining a visual separation between the 2 heavy forms. The basement houses a swimming pool, gym and sauna.

A horizontal concrete plane bisects these volumes, tying elements together and defining courtyards and terraces. Ancillary spaces (such as garage, car port, plant and utility rooms) are slotted under this plane, and it forms an external balcony to the master suites at the rear.

The 2-storey volumes are finished in beautiful coursed blue lias stone, whilst the single-storey elements are clad in full-height porcelain cladding tiles. The textured natural stone gives a wonderfully tactile aesthetic to the contemporary forms, and creates a contrast to the smooth cladding and concrete banding.

Around the house we have more structured terraces and reflection pools, which provide spaces to enjoy at various times of the day – a small ‘gin terrace’ to the West for the last of the evening sun, larger terraces at the rear for breakfasts in the morning sun or sheltered for evening meals outside, and a sunken courtyard that gives the basement a spill-out space. As we move away from the house, the landscaping gets wilder and less formal: lawn gives way to meadow planting and a new pond.

The project is currently under construction, with completion scheduled for early Summer 2022.