Featherbed Barn is a minimal residence positioned in Stourton, United Kingdom, designed by Oliver Leech Architects. The novel constructing replaces a pre-existing bungalow on the expansive 1.1-acre lot, initially supposed as a weekend getaway. The householders, who share a bond with the local people, particularly Andrew’s birthplace, shifted from the bustling metropolis life in London to the peaceable Cotswolds after the Covid-19 pandemic. Oliver Leech was the beneficial architect for the job. He shortly grasped the location’s potential, notably the potential benefits of shifting the home’s alignment from east-west to north-south, permitting the home to soak within the expansive views of the neighboring valley. The design Leech put forth features a low-energy dwelling that not solely facilitates an lively way of life and frequent social engagements but in addition incorporates areas designated for work and rest.
The plan additionally incorporates a garden tennis courtroom, expansive gardens, and an space for a walled backyard to additional entwine the property with the encircling nature. The Cotswolds Home is outlined by two intersecting pitched volumes, forming an L-shape and clad in native Cotswold stone and larch, topped with zinc and slate roofing. These volumes, known as ‘the barn’ and ‘the wing’, converge at 100 levels, artfully capturing the panoramic view and becoming throughout the web site’s triangular confines. The taller quantity makes an announcement on the road, whereas the decrease one merges with the panorama, housing half-buried bedrooms. Within the preliminary design, Leech aimed for a sequential revelation of the home. A single massive window disrupts the hand-crafted dry-wall stonework, inciting curiosity whereas sustaining the occupants’ privateness.
The encompassing panorama solely begins to disclose itself as soon as inside, by means of partially framed views. The bottom ground homes the social areas, that includes a spacious central lounge for internet hosting dinner events and social gatherings. There’s additionally a comfortable library house, visually linked to the lounge by means of a double-sided wood-burning range. This library is perched above the backyard, offering a better vantage level for views of the backyard and past. Fitted with purple elm bookcases that cover a secret bar, this house is ideal for winding down after dinner. The kitchen, geared up with fashionable facilities, adjoins a hid walk-in pantry making intelligent use of the house underneath the steps.
The kitchen additional extends to a patio, sheltered by the primary ground’s overhang, the place the occupants can dine al fresco, whatever the climate circumstances. The patio, oriented north-west, is ideal for having fun with summer time sunsets and opens onto a walled kitchen backyard the place the homeowners plan to develop their very own meals. Cotswolds Home is designed as a social hub for the homeowners and their company, mixing massive gathering areas with non-public areas all through the property. The principle bed room suite occupies the primary ground of ‘the barn’, providing a non-public haven for Alan and Andrew. The visitor wing is nestled within the hillside beneath the library, providing a discreet retreat. The residing areas and outside areas are positioned to supply privateness from the village’s predominant highway and adjoining properties.
