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A Historic English Countryside Cottage Gets a Contemporary Extension

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Remodel & RenovationIssue 33 — The Isles

A Historic English Countryside Cottage Gets a Contemporary Extension

Jim Stephenson August 19, 2022

When creatives Tom Baker and Natalie Silk purchased a centuries-old stone cottage in Devon, United Kingdom, as a weekend home, they knew the historic structure would need a new extension. The existing garage and workshop were in a state of disrepair, so the two Londoners appointed Hackney-based architecture practice Studio Weave to replace them with a two-story timber artist’s retreat that wraps around the side and back of the original building.

Sandwiched between the stone house and a restored staircase built into the grassy hillside, the contemporary addition is designed to blend in with its natural surroundings. Studio Weave accomplished this by using a neutral, earthy color palette and materials sourced as locally as possible. The geometric western red cedar facade will silver over time, while the Douglas fir plywood interior feels warm and cozy. With sweeping valley views through the large triple-glazed windows, there’s no better place to hunker down and create.

Let’s take a tour.

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Above: According to Studio Weave co-founder Je Ahn, the history of the original house is unknown. “It probably has been there over a hundred years, built in the 17th or 18th century,” he estimates. “No one really knows exactly. It was a local sandpit and the workers at that quarry built the cottage. It’s been extended in various different configurations many times. When we started, the part that was wrapped around the building was very dilapidated and damp.”
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Above: Baker and Silk had a simple brief for Ahn: They wanted to increase the usable space of their vacation home in a sustainable way, as the energy bill of an old house can get quite high. They also requested a distinct unit, so two families can stay at once, independently from one another.
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Above: With three dedicated entries, including this back door that’s stocked with firewood for the cast iron Jøtul stove, the addition offers guests privacy from the primary residence.
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Above: The juxtaposition of old and new was also considered. “We wanted to make something quite contemporary that doesn’t jar with the existing historic elements,” Ahn explains. “So the language of the extension is quite ordered, in a way, against this quite free-flowing cob building.”
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Above: On the top level, the Douglas fir plywood construction is exposed to maximize space. Cubbies and cupboards for storage formed organically.
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Above: Massive windows allow artistic visitors to connect with the bucolic environment.
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Above: Downstairs, a long, stainless steel and wood kitchen can be divided into two with a sliding pocket door. One half of the cook space can service the extension, while the other is reserved for the main house.
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Above: “The orange handmade clay floor tiles come from Norfolk,” shares Ahn. “The walls are lime-based render from the area. It’s actually pigmented with a slightly pink color. The material is breathable, yet at the same time has certain properties that work well in different temperatures.”
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Above: Folding wooden shutters can fan out to block the sunlight from the lower level bedroom.
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Above: Douglas fir plywood walls glow in the evening.

For more modern-meets-historic spots in the UK, see:

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