Architecture Wednesday: The Old Barn

Once a farm building, The Old Barn is now a remarkable six-bedroom home that sits in an elevated plot with commanding views over the quiet village of Chelsworth, Suffolk. The design embraces its pastoral setting while establishing a contemporary style. Exposed materials are celebrated throughout, with an impressive triple-height timber structure, original brickwork, and plywood elements.

To preserve the architectural integrity of the building, the main barn was kept as a single volume, its original oak frame restored and integrated with new sections of French oak. Sheets of weatherboard plywood clad the interior, and the roof has been rebuilt with lightweight steel truss supports.

The main entry is to an impressive ante-room, where brick floor pavers and concrete walls set an authentic appeal set against a bank of yellow door fronts that open to reveal handy storage, utility facilities, and a small powder room.

A pair of symmetrically positioned stairs sweep up to the open-plan reception area in the main section where you find those dramatic full-height ceilings. Expansive windows reach upward from the former barn door to extend across portions of the roof flooding the room with light. Limestone floors with underfloor heating ground the space which is arranged centrally around a large dining area with a bespoke kitchen beyond.

Professional stainless-steel units are configured as a U-shaped island, with easy-to-maintain surfaces, raised plug sockets and seating space at the opposite end that is oriented toward low-level slit windows that frame panoramic views of the landscape. At the opposite end of the great space is the double-height living area with exposed original beams and slit windows to frame the views. The great room opens onto a generous terrace with an outdoor dining area and a barbecue.

A white-painted wall marks the boundary between the main section and the four-story extension that houses all six bedrooms. The principal suite is discreetly positioned on the lower ground floor with direct access to the garden. East-facing panels draw in the soft morning light. A set of curtains opens to an en suite with a round spa bathtub, built-in wardrobes, and a door to a separate water closet. 

One of the bedrooms on the ground floor also has an en suite bathroom, along with access to a small balcony. There are three more bedrooms on the first floor, and another en suite bedroom on the second floor. A pristine additional bathroom on the first floor has a bathtub, ideal for long soaks.

The house is immersed in well-maintained private grounds of around an acre, mainly laid to lawn and interspersed with established trees and planted sections. To the front, the private driveway has space for parking multiple cars.

The Old Barn can be yours for just £1.550M or $2.075M USD.

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The Modern House

Architecture Wednesday: The Old Ballroom

Now this is how you do a ballroom, you know …

This home was once a ballroom in a former Edwardian hotel on Loughborough Road in south-west London before being renovated into an expansive three-bedroom, three-bathroom 1880 square foot apartment.

Originally conceived as a grand hotel for the urban expansion of Lambeth, the building is nestled among grand Victorian and Edwardian villas that were built to accommodate merchants and clerks leaving the smog of the city. It was also a salsa club and an acrobat arena before it was converted into apartments in 2008 all while retaining its original decorative scheme and grandeur.

Situated on the first floor—what we call the second floor in America—the apartment has an amplified sense of volume with soaring ceilings and a number of mezzanine levels, as well as a stuccoed dome that provides a focal point; the dome was recently repainted and wired with atmospheric up-lighting.

The open plan kitchen features a charming outdoor terrace paved with chequerboard flags and catches the south-facing sun. It has plenty of room for a table and chairs as well as pots full of herbs and flowers for the horticulturally inclined.

The main reception area opens up to a double-height space finished in a pastel palette while light floods into the space via expansive sash windows, which have recently undergone a full restoration to improve energy efficiency. A working fireplace provides a central point for the sitting room while the main floor includes an office, a full bathroom and adjoining bedroom currently used as a nursery.

Upstairs, on the left mezzanine, is the primary bedroom suite, with intricate decorative period plasterwork stretching out overhead and along the upper part of the walls. The room also has dual-aspect windows looking over the front and side of the street as well as an en suite bathroom with a large tub edged in Moroccan tiles, a vanity and water closet.

On the opposite side of the upper story is a second bedroom suite, with windows to the front, built-in storage space and a separate en suite.

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The Spaces

Architecture Wednesday: Alaska Buildings Warehouse Loft

On the top floor of the Alaska Buildings, a former industrial warehouse in Bermondsey, south-east London, you’ll find this lofty two-bedroom apartment that has been impeccably reimagined but retains its sense of history.

Set behind secure gates the Alaska Buildings make an arresting first impression as they are two former factories—one built in 1869, the other in 1932—that closed in the 1960s and then converted into apartments in the 1990s.

Entry is to the main lobby, with 24-hour concierge service and a large stone bar area for residents to gather for the annual summer, Halloween, and Christmas parties organized by management, Opposite the concierge desk is the post and parcel room, as well as a storage room for tenants.

This apartment is on the top floor, accessible via staircase. The apartment’s front door opens to a central hall. To the left is an impressive, open-plan reception room with kitchen, dining and sitting area. A soaring vaulted ceiling with exposed timbers lends an ecclesiastical quality, while steel framing reflects the building’s industrial origin. Two arched, south-easterly warehouse windows draw in abundant natural light and are complemented by additional skylights.

The kitchen runs along one side of the space, with black metal doors and reeded glass that echo the industrial theme and contrast well with the white countertops. A large central island provides space for casual dining though there is space for a proper dining area. Stairs ascend to a mezzanine where a custom-made bookcase conceals a large storage area accessed via a secret door. 

At the back of the apartment is the generous principal bedroom with an adjacent dressing area fitted with built-in cabinetry and a refined en suite bathroom finished with mosaic tiles and brass fittings with bathtub and shower. A second double bedroom lies just off the front door and has a concealed desk nook and a shared bathroom with walk-in shower.

The apartment includes a secure and allocated underground parking space and is available for £1,000,000 AKA $1.35 M USD.

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The Modern House