Country Brown Home Design Photos
McLean QuinlanNestled into a hillside, this timber-framed family home enjoys uninterrupted views out across the countryside of the North Downs. A newly built property, it is an elegant fusion of traditional crafts and materials with contemporary design.
Our clients had a vision for a modern sustainable house with practical yet beautiful interiors, a home with character that quietly celebrates the details. For example, where uniformity might have prevailed, over 1000 handmade pegs were used in the construction of the timber frame.
The building consists of three interlinked structures enclosed by a flint wall. The house takes inspiration from the local vernacular, with flint, black timber, clay tiles and roof pitches referencing the historic buildings in the area.
The structure was manufactured offsite using highly insulated preassembled panels sourced from sustainably managed forests. Once assembled onsite, walls were finished with natural clay plaster for a calming indoor living environment.
Timber is a constant presence throughout the house. At the heart of the building is a green oak timber-framed barn that creates a warm and inviting hub that seamlessly connects the living, kitchen and ancillary spaces. Daylight filters through the intricate timber framework, softly illuminating the clay plaster walls.
Along the south-facing wall floor-to-ceiling glass panels provide sweeping views of the landscape and open on to the terrace.
A second barn-like volume staggered half a level below the main living area is home to additional living space, a study, gym and the bedrooms.
The house was designed to be entirely off-grid for short periods if required, with the inclusion of Tesla powerpack batteries. Alongside underfloor heating throughout, a mechanical heat recovery system, LED lighting and home automation, the house is highly insulated, is zero VOC and plastic use was minimised on the project.
Outside, a rainwater harvesting system irrigates the garden and fields and woodland below the house have been rewilded.
5 Star Windows & ConservatoriesWhite UPVC windows in the guest bedroom. Our windows come with a 20 year guarantee.
The New & Reclaimed Flooring CompanyThree and half hours from London, on the Welsh border, we find the Malvern hills, home to a sprawling country bolt-hole barn conversion.
The property needed a complete renovation and was on a vast scale.
Emma’s clients had bought this gloriously huge barn to relocate from London to embrace a slower pace of life.
Unfortunately, much of the property’s character had been lost through years of ill-considered additions of partition walls, poor glazing and stark flooring, which were simply incompatible with its history.
The scale needed to restore this home to its former glory initially overwhelmed the homeowners.
They chose to work with Emma Kirby Designs to completely rebuild, redesign and remodel the space.
Once the internal partitions were removed, the massive scale of the property created a magnificent space which would make entertaining an absolute joy for both the homeowners and their guests.
The result was spectacular.
The antique floorboards were supplied and installed by us.
Our expert installers know and understand the importance of this carefully sourced solid wood flooring and are masters of their trade.
Country Brown Home Design Photos
1