Houzz Tours
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Houzz Tour: An Ecofriendly Octagonal Home in West Wales
Compact and curiously shaped, this eco home has an interior packed with neat details, local materials and upcycled finds
Overlooking the beautiful Aeron Valley in west Wales, this pint-sized pad sits on an organic farm. It was built to be environmentally friendly and constructed by a local craftsman using materials sourced from the area, including sheep’s wool insulation and Douglas fir cladding for the exterior.
With a footprint of just 43 sq m, the house is compact and designed around an unusual, octagonal footprint. ‘The challenge was to use the available space well,’ says Hannah Cockburn of Cream & Black Interior Design, who created the interior. ‘We had to make the unusual shape work practically, but also in an aesthetic way. The size and open-plan layout mean everything’s on view all the time, so we needed to make it look pretty!’
With a footprint of just 43 sq m, the house is compact and designed around an unusual, octagonal footprint. ‘The challenge was to use the available space well,’ says Hannah Cockburn of Cream & Black Interior Design, who created the interior. ‘We had to make the unusual shape work practically, but also in an aesthetic way. The size and open-plan layout mean everything’s on view all the time, so we needed to make it look pretty!’
Heating comes from the wood-burning stove, in which the occupants burn timber grown on the farm, but there are also solar panels and a wind turbine on the land that supply electricity and additional warmth via underfloor heating.
Cockburn designed a birch-ply wall featuring integrated shelves for the living space and near the bed. ‘Some of the panels are painted and some we left plain to create pattern,’ she says.
Cockburn designed a birch-ply wall featuring integrated shelves for the living space and near the bed. ‘Some of the panels are painted and some we left plain to create pattern,’ she says.
Outside, the walls are clad in Douglas fir, grown and sawn in mid Wales. Sheep’s wool insulation keeps the house warm in winter and cool in summer. The walls are breathable thanks to hemp fibreboard and lime plaster inside.
The octagonal shape of the house is extended slightly along two sides to accommodate storage and the bathroom. The cooking, dining, sleeping and living areas exist neatly within one open space.
‘We worked with a local carpenter to create the handmade kitchen cabinetry and furniture,’ says Cockburn. She then sourced an oven that had a slightly retro, homely feel. ‘We just thought it suited the space,’ she says.
Oven, Candy.
Oven, Candy.
Rather than wall cabinets, Cockburn chose open shelves for the kitchen. ‘It’s a really simple construction and we used patterned tiles inside to create interest,’ she says.
‘We tried to upcycle, find affordable pieces and use ecofriendly materials inside wherever possible,’ says Cockburn. The dining chairs came from a local junk shop, and were painted and had their seat pads reupholstered.
‘Using reclaimed pieces fits with the ecofriendly ethos of this place, and they also help to make the interior feel homely,’ she says. ‘Filling it with new furniture might have made it a bit sterile.’
‘Using reclaimed pieces fits with the ecofriendly ethos of this place, and they also help to make the interior feel homely,’ she says. ‘Filling it with new furniture might have made it a bit sterile.’
The kitchen sink sits below an octagonal window that echoes the shape of the building. ‘You can look out over the landscape when you’re doing the washing-up,’ the designer says. The sink is not in view from the bed, but tucked away in the section that also contains the bathroom.
Worktop, Silestone.
Worktop, Silestone.
‘The space designed to house the bathroom was very limited, long and thin, and we wanted to give it some character, but also keep it feeling quite natural,’ Cockburn explains. ‘We used Welsh slate tiles on the walls, which have a greenish tint.’
The basin stand was made by the builder and plumber working on the house. ‘We simply used goods from the local plumbers’ merchant to make a stand,’ Cockburn says. Having found an original sink, she discovered it had no overflow. ‘So we bought a modern, practical version of an old-style basin instead,’ she says.
Wall lights, Heal’s.
Browse ways to bring nature into your bathing space
Wall lights, Heal’s.
Browse ways to bring nature into your bathing space
The armchairs were made for the house, and have patterned fabric on the sides. ‘Again, it’s about putting a little bit of detail in,’ says Cockburn. ‘Also, in a typical living room you don’t see the back of the furniture, but this is such an unusual space – you’re walking around the furniture all the time!’
The curtain fabric has soft, muted blues in it and a pattern of trees. ‘It reflects what’s outside and brings it inside in a soft way,’ says Cockburn.
Delaware curtain fabric, Villa Nova. Similar arabesque rugs available from Rugs Direct.
The curtain fabric has soft, muted blues in it and a pattern of trees. ‘It reflects what’s outside and brings it inside in a soft way,’ says Cockburn.
Delaware curtain fabric, Villa Nova. Similar arabesque rugs available from Rugs Direct.
More decorative plywood panelling to the left of the bed creates some privacy and softly divides off the storage space and bathroom beyond. Since the owners sometimes let the house out as a holiday home, extra sleep space was added: to the right of the bed, bunk beds pull down from the wall, so the house can sleep four.
‘We wanted the bed to be very cosy and inviting,’ says Cockburn. ‘There’s a locally made Welsh blanket at the end and we combined lots of different textures.’
The headboard and blanket box at the end of the bed were made and upholstered specially. ‘The box provides storage for the bedding used on the bunks,’ says Cockburn.
The headboard and blanket box at the end of the bed were made and upholstered specially. ‘The box provides storage for the bedding used on the bunks,’ says Cockburn.
The wooden bed frame was made a little higher than a standard bed. ‘This creates space for storage underneath,’ says Cockburn. ‘It’s essential in a small space.’
The ceiling light is an old recycled bike wheel, transformed with bulbs. The flooring is engineered oak, which is compatible with the building’s underfloor heating.
Birch plywood and reclaimed piping were used to make the hanging storage.
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Who lives here A young couple
Location Near Aberaeron, Ceredigion, Wales
Property Detached octagonal eco home
Size 43 sq m
Designer Hannah Cockburn of Cream & Black Interior Design
The views from the tiny house over the countryside are stunning, so Hannah Cockburn designed the interior to complement all the natural beauty. ‘We wanted to create a calm, relaxed space that doesn’t take anything away from the amazing landscape outside,’ she says. ‘The idea was to keep the look simple and not too contemporary, with lots of calm, warm colours.’
Local craftsman Steve Gates used Scots pine trees to build the impressive timber structure that holds up the roof and walls of the house. These add definition to the interior. The kitchen cabinets were made to fit the space. ‘We then used oak floorboards that are maybe 400 years old to make the end panels,’ says Cockburn.