The farmhouse sits to the Eastern side of the Cotswolds, close to Roman Fosse Way, where the steep rolling hills meet the plains of the Thames and its tributaries. The setting is pastoral, with paddocks and barns surrounding the house.
As with many old stone farmhouses, the property had evolved and grown over many generations and under different ownerships, as farming practices changed and fashion and lifestyles moved with the times. This created a patina and a sense of history, but the practical result was a series of jumbled spaces with little hierarchy or relevance to modern-day living.
The family were keen to be able to entertain in a relaxed atmosphere and wanted the kitchen to be the heart of the home. Initial exploration to remodel the existing rooms was studied but this was too destrucive to the fabric of the Listed building. We therefore looked to replace a late 20th Century extension which had been poorly designed and executed. The proposal enhanced the primary elevation and achieved the generous kitchen space needed.
The remodelling of the rest of the house was a balancing act to bring a coherence to the spaces whilst retaining the sense of time which had so attracted the owners initially. Many of the interventions, such as new stairs, were designed sympathetically to tie in with the existing period details.
