Old Barns Become An Airy, Modern-Rustic Home

Building a large home in the countryside that fits in with its surroundings is always a challenge, and this project for a couple approaching retirement was no different. They asked Simon Harris and VESP Architects to create a comfortable, light home on the site of two barns in Devon, England, where they could spend time with their large extended family.

By using local natural materials, designing a pleasing profile and surrounding the building with wildlife-friendly landscaping, they’ve created a home that offers a comfortable, uplifting, modern living space while echoing the local agricultural buildings in the surrounding Devon countryside.

House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with a large extended family
Location: South Hams, Devon, England
Size: Four bedrooms and five bathrooms
Architect: Simon Harris of VESP Architects
Contractor: Tim Massey
Landscape designer: Edit Landscape

Before: The starting point for the house was these two agricultural barns.

After: Simon wanted to keep the rustic feel outside, so the new house is not dissimilar to the barns but with a contemporary twist. The British larch wood siding is arranged in an agricultural manner with open joints.

The steel standing-seam roof is designed this way as well. “It’s again quite an agricultural finish to use metal sheeting in this way,” Simon says. “But it’s also a very crisp, contemporary look that contrasts nicely with the weatherboarding and more rustic elements.”

The stonework is local Cornish granite.

Rather than one monolithic structure, Simon wanted to create a more elegant shape, and so he cut out sections of the building along each side.

“We felt there was an opportunity to nibble into the existing volume to remove elements — deep reveals — which then form glazing links between each section,” he says. The building has four sections: the guest bedrooms and garage; the office and dining space; the main kitchen and living room; and the couple’s suite.

The impressive double-height kitchen and living room greets anyone entering through the front door and very much celebrates the home’s agricultural heritage. “The intention was that this central space was the big moment of arrival, the big hero space, where we wanted to express the scale of the building,” Simon says.
The weathered Douglas fir trusses are the most striking element. “The feature trusses were a key part,” Simon says. “They didn’t come from the original building, but they appear as if they might have.”
The living room at the end of the space is glass to make the most of the surrounding greenery. “The intent for the interior was always one of just enjoying the simple [spaces] formed by the buildings in clean, contemporary finishes, then adding more agricultural texture in the details, such as the old brick chimney breast and rustic oak herringbone parquet” flooring, Simon says.
The trusses help to demarcate the areas, with the kitchen fitting nicely between the central pair. Large skylights help ensure the middle section of this big space isn’t dark.

The cabinet doors and curvy island are covered in fluted oak. Brass kickplates separate the cabinets from the oak floor to create a lighter feel, while the pale quartz countertops and backsplash work with the white walls.

The dining room is through the door to the right of the kitchen. To the left of the kitchen is the hall that connects to the guest bedrooms. You can just see into the study off the left.

The study has a small shower room attached. “It was at one point going to be a gym space,” Simon says. There’s now a gym area above the guest bedrooms instead and this area is used as a work space.
This angle gives a clearer view into the dining room.

The main entrance to the house is under the mezzanine. Flanking the hallway are a powder room (on the left in this view) and a laundry room-mudroom (on the right).

The laundry room-mudroom has masses of storage. It was an opportunity to have a bit more color and the deep yellow on the far wall adds a bright note. It’s a shade that’s repeated throughout the house, from the powder room towels and brass kitchen fittings to the velvet sofas, cushions and throws.

Within the cabinet run on the left you can see the bottom of the truss that goes up into the mezzanine. “It’s quite a contrast seeing that same structure in such a small space,” Simon says.

The powder room across from the laundry room has its own bold feature in the form of gold fish-scale tiles, which link with the oak, brass and yellow elements throughout the home.
The team created a sinuous staircase up to the mezzanine sitting area.
“This is my favorite area of the house,” Simon says of the mezzanine. “There are amazing views over the South Hams and out towards Dartmoor.”
The large window has vertical wood slats on the outside. “We wanted to balance the light [coming in] and the need for privacy,” Simon says. From certain angles outside, the glass can’t be seen.

It was also partly dictated by planning regulations. “We said the frontage would not be overly glazed, so the first floor is partially concealed by” wood, he says.

The entrance to the couple’s suite is off the kitchen-living area, with the first room being a living area, seen here through the doors.
This section of the house to the right of the main area is given over entirely to a suite for the couple.

In addition to the usual bedroom and bathroom, they have this relaxing lounge area, which is attached to the main living area, but very much has its own character.

The couple requested that the floorboards in here and throughout the suite be dark. “I think it works really well as a contrast,” Simon says.

Freestanding fireplace: Caleo

The room faces west and enjoys some of the more far-reaching views of the countryside. Every principal room has the same aluminum sliding doors, so they can all be opened out into the surrounding garden.

“The owners’ aspiration was that the building would … be filled with fresh air and for people to be able to come and go and enjoy the spaces,” Simon says.

The doorway within the bookshelves on the right leads into the couple’s bedroom.

The main bedroom is all about relaxation and being a place to escape the hubbub.
The windows in the en suite bathroom has integrated blinds. The bathing area is surrounded by the same fluted oak sheets as on the kitchen cabinets, while the remaining walls and floor are micro-cement.

The owners chose the vanity, which coordinates with the suite’s dark floors and brass details. The bars on the wall next to it are heated towel rails.

The walk-in closet room has custom-built oak cabinets. Slats cover the window for privacy while still allowing in light.
This is the couple’s suite seen from the outside. Wood screens on rails can be slid in front of the glass for privacy.
As part of the landscape design around the house, spaces were treated in different ways. “The guest bedroom block was conceived as more of a woodland space, connecting with the trees around it, while more formal spaces outside the kitchen have more structure to them,” Simon says.

“Our aspiration was to fulfill our obligation to biodiversity and make sure we were grounding the space with soft edges,” he says.

Building a large home in the countryside that fits in with its surroundings is always a challenge, and this project for a couple approaching retirement was no different. They asked Simon Harris and VESP Architects to create a comfortable, light home on the site of two barns in Devon, England, where they could spend time with their large extended family. (cited)