Designedfor Living

photographs DavidMerewether
words ClaireTennant-Scull
stylang LucyFleming
 3

li

wife Sophichad given birth to their son Oscar.so it was quite

understandable that she shouldbe slightly lessengagedin the
intcrvicw.but this time, althoughit is Richardand Oscar(now
wriggling and srriling) who meet me at the door, it is Sophie
who takesme tround the houseand it is clear thtt shehas put
her own creativestampon it too.
The house is visible from some distanceat the moment.
Richardhasplantedtreesto softenits impact.but they havenot
yet come into leaf. so the shapeof this remarkablebuilding can
bc clearly read.The most striking and talked-aboutfeatureis
the vast clay rrch that spansthe width of the building and will
shortly be plantedup with native wild flowers and grassesto
fbrm a "green"roof. One ofRichard'scentralideaswasthat thc
houseshouldbe like a "hide" or an old-fashionedcamera,with
the glasswalled mastcr bedroom emerging from its "hood"
likc a giant lens.
Our first visit last year also camejust a few days aftcr Kevin
McClnud and the Grawl Design.sterm htd beenfilming. so it
was interestingto sec.when the programmewas broadcastin

previous pages the staircasesoarsup overa terracotta archwayin

thehallwhilea separatediningroomprovides someformaltyabove a
classlc1928LeCorbusier leather
chaise-longue makesthemostofthe
viewIn the sittingroomright the unclltttered
kitchenhasviewsover
Inegar0en

36
 March,thatthe famouslyhonestpresenterhadobviouslycaught
someof Richard'senthusiasmand was greatlyimpressed.
The couplc, too, are very happy with the finished house,
though it may still change:flexibility was always part of the
design,the idea being that the housecould be adaptedto the
family's changing needs. The ground-floor wetroom was
designedwith wheelchairaccessfor when the couple'sparents
got older and less active, or indeed for Richard and Sophie, in
t!me.too.
Many of Sophie's ideas were already incorporated in the
design of the building, but it is in the interiorsthat she has
rcally been able to exerciseher creativeskills. Almost all the
furniture has been newly purchasedbecausewhen the couple
moved from their 16th century timbered house, they sold most
of its contentstoo. "BecauseChannel4 were coming to film
the momentthe building was finished,we had to order pieces
befbrewe could actuallymove in," saysSophie.
Severalthings have changedfor the couple since we last met.
Last SeptemberRichard lcft his job at a prestigiousLondon
llrm of architectsand launchedhis own practice.He has been
busy ever sinceand the telephoneconstantlyseemsto ring fbr

lefl on the siaircasethe woodenhandrailsand recycledscaffolding

tubes are linkedto the steps by tensionedropesfrom Chatham
dockyardbelow the familybathroom,in particular,has the feel of a
five-starhotel

38
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h inr c lur ingour v i s i t. S o p h i e .to o . h a s

ch angeddir c c t io n .l e a v i n uh e rj o b i n th e
City to considel nc\\' projects.onc of
u hiih i. t o t Uf nh (.ri n l (re \l .rl t\l{ )b \l L )u \
tr lent f or int er io rd e \i g n i n l o a b u s i n e s s .
We begin our t{)ur in the kilchcn. A
quietlv nrodestspace.it is refieshingly
I'reeof ll ashygad-uets andsintplt clesigned
tor its purpose.Therc's a door to thc
g af denandS oph i cte l l sme th a tth c v p l a n
to createa lrcrbgiu-denin a kincl0f circle
oi raiscclbeds arouDdthc house.So nor
o nlv will it s upp l yth e k i tc l l e n .b L rti rl s o
mark the edge of thc living spacc and
the beginningof the norc meadowlike.
wilder gardenandorchardbevonri.There
is a delightfulgroup ol gnarledold apple
tlccs k) one side. thtt the couple look
parnsto prcscrvc.Sophiesar,sshc hnpes
to ha\,c a clly oven thcre and a llblc
beneaththc lrcesfbr inibrnralmeals.
I notice thlrt alnlost cveq,Loom has a
cloor lo tllc garclenanclyct. one ol tltc
lnrin lcaturesof this houseis the idel that

this page the lwo .pdre oeoroo'n<a c dL

oppositeendsofthe archtop the secondspare
Toomhas an en suite bathroomwith an exka
w de door that can be swungover to createa
d vidingwallto add prvacy

41
 ,t-";
:4G
F :*-

it shouldbe a kind of "air-tight" structure,leaking little or no

heat into the atmosphere. How doesthat work if the doors are
left open?"Oh. pcoplethink that we can neveropena window
or door." laughs Sophie."The insulationis superb,so in the
cdder monthsthere'svery little heat loss.but in the summer.
there'sno rcasonwhy we can't have doorsand windows open.
When the doors are shut. the air within the house is being
mechanicallychangedall the time, so it's much fresherthan
conventionalhomes.Really.the only reasonwe necd to keep
the kitchen door shut is to preventour naughty French hens
tiom coming inl"
We enter the living room from the garden.Almost three
sidesof this room are constructedof glass.A classic 1928Le
Corbusierlcathcr chaise-longuemakes the most of the view.
There is a huge.modular sola coveredin dark brown hessian
and on the wall aboveit. a photographof autumnalmapletrees
adds fiery reds and oranges.A low, long sideboardconforms
to the cool, contemporarystyle.but the splashesof hot colour
in the collection of 1960s orange Penguin paperbacksand
ornamentalred glasswareaddsa surprisingnotc of cosiness.
Back in the hallway,the heightof the clay archis impressive,

this page the masterbedroom hasa bathwithinit.Thecouplehave

preferring
no curtains, to fallasleeplooking
at thestarsandwaketo the
mornrngsunlight

43
but again, becauseof its colour, it f-eels
warm and benevolent.At one end of
the bow is Richard's study, where
llles, axonometricdrawings and paper
models testify to a busy working lit-e.
This room could in future be opened up
to the kitchen, te make one big family
room. At the other end of the arch is
t he dining r oom . T h e l a c t th a t th i \ i \ a
:\eparate spaceis somethi{gof a .utprise
in sucha modem house,but Sophiefeels
that they have the best of both worlds.
"I like the lact that we have a dramlrtic,
dedicateddining space,but there are no
doors to cut it ofT." Thc llooring on the
ground level is the samethroughout.lt's
a special product that Richard sourced
from South East Coatingsin Faversham
and is madeup of tiny piecesof recycled
glass suspendedin resin. It is highly
reflective, but unlike stone, is warm to
the touch.
?.'

{
 The curve of the stairs echoesthe main arch and the wooden
handrails and recycled scaffolding tubes are linked to the steps
by tensioned ropes from Chatham dockyard. Upstairs light
floods in through the only north-facing window. Either side
of it, smaller interior windows "borrow" light to illuminate
the guest and family bathrooms. Richard was adamantthat he
wanted really luxurious bathroomsand he hasn't compromised.
The family bathroom, in particular, has the feel of a five-star
hotel. The bath water cascadesin a faultless sheetfrom a wide
chrome tap and in one corner of the room an ivory leather chair
adds to the feeling of a relaxing spa. "This chair is amazing,"
saysSophie,as shetransformsit into a full-length daybed.With
the muted lighting and sheepskinrug on the floor, the invitation
to relax is almost irresistible.
There is a guest bedroom at either end of the roof arch, and
one hasits own showerroom.At firstglance, the bedroom seems
completely open to the landing, but then Sophie demonstrates
one of the clever tricks of this house. The guest bathroom has
an unusually wide door that swings acrossthe landing to seal
off the space,thus creating a private suite.
So fond of their ablutions are this couple that the master
bedroom actually has a bathroom in it. "I like to talk to Richard
when I'm in the bath," laughs Sophie. The couple once stayed

thls page aerialviewsof theguestbed.ooms: oneis at oneandof the

roof archand anotheris at the oppositeend right this secondguest
bedroomcanbe dividedfromthe hallbythewidebathroom door

47
above Richafd'ssludyright thehousewasdesignedto belikea hide'
or an odjashoned camera,with the glass-waled masterbedroorn
emergrngfrom ts "hood'ikea g ant ens.

in a SouthAflican lodge with a liccstandingbath in thc roon)

and tabulou5views of the vildernessbeyond.The experience
was clearly a lbrmativeone. as here.too. they have vast floor-
to-ceiling windows. "There's so little light pollution that we
can take advantagcof the night skies."explrins Sophie."We
love to wake with the daylicht and go to sleeplooking at the
starl.-'
Whcn I wrote aboutthis houselast year.$e calledthe article
Building thc Dreanr.lt's a bit corny.but it seemst'airto saythat
we shouldnow revisethat to Lit,ing thc Drttutt.

Ritharel's pnt.ject llds baen slrcrtlisterl for thc Grand Designs

Awards09. GrandDesignsLlc is takingplete until 4 Md| at
EtCcl London.To contact Ri<'lurdull 01580 895106or visit
www.hawkesarchitecture.co.uk

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