Stanmer House, Stanmer Village, Brighton, BN1 9QA, United Kingdom +44 0757 097 7231
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"We design timeless country houses that embrace both permanence and change.
The houses we most admire from the past are built with natural materials that are skillfully composed with beautiful humane details. These are the timeless qualities that inform our work. By focusing on natural materials and traditional craftsmanship, the buildings that we design have a reassuring sense of permanence.
The practical and emotional demands of modern life are constantly changing, whilst new technology and modern building techniques offer the possibility of creating comfortable and sustainable places. We believe that a good home supports and nourishes the way we live. By appreciating the value of permanence whilst understanding the need for change, we are able to adapt traditional architecture to create beautiful homes that are a joy to live in.
Our feeling of belonging stems from the past, but together we'll create the home that allows you to live your best life now, and shape a legacy for future generations. A home that belongs to its place and belongs to you."
What services do you provide?
"We carry out all architectural services relating to Country Houses including new builds, renovations and extensions. We have extensive experience with Listed buildings."
How would you describe your style?
"We believe in the English House. The beauty of vernacular farmhouses, Jacobean manors, and Georgian formality. The evolution of the English House is such fertile ground for inspiration and this is our starting point for projects.
We then turn to the present. How can the project draw on the qualities of these houses and at the same time work for the client? And so we begin a new chapter in the evolution of the English House, written as a collaboration between us."
Please describe a recently completed project or tell us about the bespoke service that you offer
"Having previously lived in a Georgian house with high ceilings and large sash windows the clients of our Ancient Woodland House project felt that there was something missing. Approaching retirement and with grown-up children starting families of their own they wanted to extend the farmhouse with separate guest accommodation and a new social area with an uplifting sense of space and light.
It was clear early on that the opportunity lay in demolishing a rather plain annexe and replacing it with the new extension. We knew it was going to be difficult to persuade the planners that a two-storey extension to a modest listed building was a good idea but we persevered.
The solution came in disguising the extension as a semi-agricultural building of a scale that didn't challenge its older neighbour. The ground floor was lowered by half a metre and the ceilings were vaulted to create the dramatic spaces that were longed for.
The clients now love living in both the cosy snug rooms of the old part of the house and the new light-filled extension. The house is often busy with guests and the family is able to all be together whilst maintaining a sense of independence.
'We are absolutely delighted with the final result. It speaks volumes about the value of Tom's input. The design intangibles of the interaction of materials, style and proportion clearly show his contribution and flare. There is no doubt in our minds when considering the product that it's his understanding of how these interact that has made the whole thing work so well. We have a great deal more than a replacement extension, what we have now makes a huge contribution to the house as a whole both in terms of use and aesthetics.'"
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