While all homes should be functional, practical and organised, they can also be a piece of art in their own right. As with many older homes, the need for adaptation to suit modern family living is a priority for anybody considering an extension or renovation.
In the case of this modern family, both parents work from home; a trend becoming more and more popular. They wished to create a liveable home with two separate working spaces, with the final result being a non-conforming, anomalous home design. Dubbed the 'Cut And Frame House', one of the two working spaces was to be placed in the garden, in the form of a unique writing hut, with a complementary design to that of the newly renovated house.
Let's take a look how the expert architects at Ashton Porter went about adapting the home.
As you can see, there is a clear distinction between the old and new, in both, texture, colour, and form.
The reorganised ground-floor of the semi-detached property is a modern addition to an otherwise unobtrusive home, with timber cladding, large glass panels and the aluminium 'frame', which we can see to the right.
As viewed from inside, we get a better feeling of the modernity of the 'Cut And Frame House', and our first glimpse of the writing hut in the garden. The framing element of the house appears to float and serves a number of discreet purposes.
When the house is opened up (as seen here), it can be used as part of the internal seating of the home, while it acts as part of the outdoor setting when the glass doors are closed.
The framing element of the home can be better seen from this angle, as we can see just how it encloses the garden hut from afar.
The reciprocal aluminium window of the writing hut has been designed to replicate the larger form of the main house, serving as a way to connect the detached hut with the rest of the home; it's almost as if you are viewing the hut through a telescope.
A series of compartmentalised rooms of the house were removed to create more interconnected and free-flowing ground-floor living spaces.
A simple and calming interior scheme of timber and plants complements the ever-present view of the garden and writing hut, broken up by breezy whites and soft blues.
The blue tones of the decorative elements of the living spaces continues in the kitchen, paired with a mismatched arrangement of greys and white.
Here we see the writing hut in the garden, one of the two new working spaces of the home. The same timber clad exterior is highlighted by the aluminium frame which, like the frame of the main house, can have multiple uses.
While it can be used as a display for artwork, it can also be an elevated seat with steps from the inside.
The inside of the writing hut is our idea of a perfectly calming space conducive to productive work.
The timber theme continues inside, with plywood panels used for the desk and shelving, as well as the walls and ceiling, offering a warm glow in the afternoon sun.
For some helpful advice on garden rooms, take a look at: What do I need to know before building a garden room?