Tucked away in a Yorkshire hillside village, this traditional cottage has been thoughtfully transformed into a spacious family home that flows seamlessly into its surrounding garden.
The original cottage has been carefully refurbished, preserving its character and most of its rooms, while the kitchen and dining area have been placed within a striking contemporary extension that opens directly to the garden. The extension’s unusual asymmetrical roofline reflects the form of the existing cottage, ensuring that original first-floor windows remain untouched while also creating a distinctive and dynamic interior. At the heart of the design is a bespoke frameless bay (oriel) window seat, achieved through structural glazing on a cantilevered base. Its asymmetrical form frames the view of a mature garden tree, offering a unique place to sit, relax, and enjoy the landscape.
Natural light floods the new spaces through a central ridgelight above the kitchen and floor-to-ceiling glazing, creating a bright and welcoming atmosphere. Though contemporary in design, the extension is grounded in its setting: externally, new stonework has been tumbled and darkened to blend seamlessly with the original walls, while the roof is finished in natural slate to harmonize with both the cottage and the surrounding village.
We knew the original house and garden had potential but had no idea how perfect it would become. Chris was masterful at listening to our random thoughts and then coming up with a plan to transform the property into an elegant fusion of old and new. It was important to us that we honoured the old house, and its surroundings and Chris did this by sympathetically creating a light-filled, expansive contemporary space, bringing the outside in, and ensuring that we had a glorious series of spaces both for entertainment and quiet reflection. It fills our hearts with joy, and we couldn’t recommend Chris, Cathy and their team more highly.
