Wealden Times Crossway May 09

8/14/2019 Wealden Times Crossway May 09

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Designedor Livingphotographs DavidMerewetherwords Claire ennant-Scull

stylangLucyFleming


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wife Sophicha dgivenbirth to their son Oscar. o t was quiteunderstandablehat she shouldbe sl ightly essengaged n theintcrvicw.but this ime, although t is Richardand Oscar nowwriggling and srriling) who meetme at the door, t is Soph iewh o takesme tround the houseand t is clear htt sheha sputher own creative tampon it too.The house s visible from some distanceat the moment.Richardhasplanted rees o soften ts mpact. ut heyhavenotyet come nto eaf.so he shape f this emarkable uildingcanbc clearly read.The most strikingand talked-abouteature sthe vastclay rrch that spans he width of th ebuilding andwillshortlybe plantedup with nativewild flowersan d grassesofbrm a "green" oof.On eofRichard'scentral deaswas hat hchouse houldbe ike a "hide" or an old-fashioned amera,withthe glasswalled mastcrbedroom emerging r om its "hood"l ikc a giant ens.Our firstvisit lastyearalsocame us t a few daysaftcr KevinMcClnud and the Grawl Des ign.serm htd been ilming. so itwa s nterestingo sec.when he programmewas broadcastnprevious pages the staircaseoarsup overa terracotta rchwaynth ehallwhile separateiningoom rovidesome ormalty bove aclasslc 92 8 eCorbusiereatherhaise-longueakeshemost ftheview n he sittingoom ight the unclltttereditchen asviews verIn egar0en

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March, hat he amously onest resenter adobviously aughtsomeof Richard's nthusiasm nd wasgreatly mpressed.The coup lc, too, are very happy with th e finishedhouse,though t may still change: lexibility was alwayspart of thedesign, he ideabeing that the housecould be adaptedo thefamily's changing needs. The ground-floor wetroom wa sdesignedwith wheelchair cces sor when he couple'sparentsgot older and less active, or indeedfor Richard and Sophie, nt!me. oo.

Many of Sophie's ideas were already incorporated in thedesignof the building, but it is in the interiors hat she hasrcally beenable o exercise er creativeskil ls.Almost al l thefurniture has been newly purchasedbecausewhen the couplemoved from their 16th century timberedhouse, hey sold mostof its contents oo. "BecauseChannel4 were coming to filmthe moment he building was finished,we had to orderpiecesbefbrewe couldactuallymove n," saysSophie.Several hings have changed or the couple since we last met.Last SeptemberRichard cft his job at a prestigious ondonllrm of architects nd aun ched is own practice.He hasbeenbusyever sinceand he telephone onstantly eems o ring fbrlefl on the siaircasehe woodenhandrails nd recycled caffoldingtubesare linked o the stepsby tensionedopes rom Chathamdockyard elow the familybathroom,n particular,as he feel of afive-star otel

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hinr c lur ingour vis i t . Sophie. oo. haschanged ircct ion.eavinu er ob in theCity to considel nc\\' projects.onc ofuhi ih i . to tUfnh(.r n l( re\ l . r l t \ l )b\ L)u\t r lent or inter ior e\ ign nlo a business.We begin our t{)ur in the ki lchcn. Aquietlv nrodest pace. t is refieshinglyI'ree f lashy ad-uetsndsintpltclesgnedtor its purpose.Therc's a door to thcgafden ndSophic el lsme hat hcvplanto create rcrbgiu-denn a kincl0f circleoi raisccl edsarouDd hc house.So noronlv wi l l i t supply he ki tc l len. Lr t r lsomark the edge of thc l iving spaccan dthe beginningof the norc meadow ike.wilder garden ndorchardbevonri. hereis a delightfulgroupol gnarled ld appletlccs k) one side. thtt the couple lookparns o prcscrvc.Sophie ar,s hc hnpesto ha\,c a clly oven thcre and a llb lcbeneathhc rces br inibrnralmeals.I notice hlrt alnlostcveq,Loom has acloor o tllc garclen nc lyct. one ol t l tclnrin lcatures f thishouse s he del thatthis page the lwo .pdre oeoroo'n< c dLopposite ndsofthe arch op thesecond pareToom as an en suitebathroomwith an exkaw de door hat can be swungover o createad vid ingwallto addprvacy

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i t shouldbe a kind of "air-tight" structure,eaking ittle or noheat nto the atmosphere. ow does ha twork if the doorsar eleft open? Oh . pcople hink that we can neveropena windowor door." aughsSophie. The insulation s superb, o in thecdder months here'svery little heat oss.but in the summer.there's o rcasonwhy we can't havedoorsand windowsopen.When the doors are shut. the air within the house s beingmechanically hangedall the time, so it's much fresher ha nconventional omes.Really. he only r easonwe necd o keepthe kitchendoor shut s to preventou r naughtyFrenchhenstiom coming nl"We enter the living room from the garden.Almost threesidesof this room are constructed f glass.A classic1928LeCorbusier cathcrchaise-longu e akes he most of the view.There s a huge.modularsola covered n d ark brown hessianandon the wall above t. a photograph f autumnalmaple reesadds iery red s and oranges. low, long sideboard onformsto the cool, contemporary tyle.but the splashes f hot colourin the collection of 1960sorange Penguinpaperbacks ndornamental edglassware dd sa surprising otcof cosiness.Back n the hallway, he heightof theclay arch s impress ive,this page th emaster edroomasa bathwithint.Th ecouple avenocurtains,referringo allasleepookingt hestars ndwake o hemornrngunlight

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but again, becauseof its colour, it f-eelswarm and benevolent.At one end ofthe bow is Richard's study, wherellles, axonometricdrawings and papermodels testify to a busy working lit-e.This room could in future be openedupto the kitchen, e make one big familyroom. At the other end of the arch isthe dining room.The lact that th i \ i \ a:\eparatepace s somethi{gof a .utprisein sucha modemhouse, ut Sophie eelsthat they have the best of both worlds."I like the lact that we have a dramlrtic,dedicated ining space, ut thereare nodoors to cut it ofT." Thc llooring on theground evel s the same hroughout.t' sa special product that Richard sourcedfrom SouthEastCoatings n Fave rshamand s madeup of tiny pieces f recycledglass suspendedn resin. It is highlyreflective, but unlike stone, is warm tothe ouch. ?.'

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The curve of the stairs echoes he main arch andthe woodenhandrails and recycled scaffolding tubes are inked to the stepsby tensioned ropes from Chatham dockyard. Upstairs lightfloods in through the only north-facing window. Either sideof it, smaller interior windows "borrow" light to illuminatethe guestand family bathrooms.Richard was adamant hat hewanted eally luxurious bathroomsand he hasn't compromised.The family bathroom, in particular,has the feel of a five-starhotel. The bath water cascadesn a faultless sheet rom a widechrome ap and n one corner of the room an vory leather chairadds o the feeling of a relaxing spa."This chair is amazing,"saysSophie,as she ransforms t into a full-length daybed.Withthe muted ighting and sheepskin ug on the floor, the invitationto relax is almost irresistible.There is a guestbedroom at either end of the roof arch, andone has ts own showerroom.At firstglance, he bedroom seemscompletely open to the landing, but then Sophie demonstratesone of the clever tricks of this house.The guestbathroom hasan unusually wide door that swings across he landing to sealoff the space, hus creating a private suite.So fond of their ablutions are this couple that the masterbedroom actually has a bathroom n it. "I like to talk to Richardwhen I'm in the bath," laughs Sophie.The couple once stayedthls page aerial iews f theguest ed.ooms: ne sat oneandof theroofarchand another s at the opposite nd right this second uestbedroom anbedividedrom he hallby hewidebathroom oor

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aboveRichafd'sludy ight th ehouse as esignedobe ike hide'or an odjashonedcamera, ith he glass-waed master edroornemergrngrom s"hood' kea g ant ens.in a SouthAflican lodgewith a liccstanding at h n thc roon)and tabulou5 iews of the vildernessbeyond.The experiencewas clearlya lbrmativeone. ashere. oo. hey havevast loor-to-ceiling windows. "There's so little light pollution that wecan take advantagc f the night skies."explrins Sophie. Welove to wake with the daylicht and go to sleep ooking at thestarl.-'Whcn I wroteabout hishouse as tyear.$e called he articleBuilding hc Dreanr. t's a bit corny.but it seems 'air o say hatwe shouldnow revise hat o Lit,ing hc Drttutt.Ritharel'spnt.ject llds baen slrcrtlisterl for thc Grand DesignsAwards09. GrandDesignsLlc is takingplete until 4 Md| atEtCcl London.To contact Ri

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Wealden Times Crossway May 09