Bullet Blog. New Country Villa

A roof courtyard, yes! An elevated space to enjoy the fantastic views to the Constable Landscapes, where this replacement dwelling is situated. Novel. Not quite upside down living, but this design has a great concept.

To keep the ground floor areas totally private hedging used at the boundaries tends to obscure some of the distance views, so arranging the design to have the main part of the house at ground level, including most bedrooms keeps privacy from those with the right to roam in surrounding fields. Above, providing a grand family space with additional kitchen, dining and sitting-room with huge South facing glazed wall, to a large enclosed courtyard on the roof. This enclosure is framed like a room in it's own right, with large openings arranged to frame the best views beyond into the distant scenes which are gorgeous. By framing those scenes, it heightens the beauty of this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, as placing a picture frame around each of the wonderful vistas that surround this house. To the West, there is rolling agricultural landscape with snaking hedgerows, a water meadow with horses East and South, a stunning vista balanced by wood copse, marshes and headland woods, a prospect of the meandering river Wang through grasslands in a shallow valley- the Constable view as it is known locally, because it could have been one of his favoured landscapes to honour.

The South West corner perspective....

...... of the villa, with swimming pool right to the South over-looking that Constable view, with Living areas adjacent. Nearest in the foreground the dining space South West which breaks out to a terrace for evening BBQs. To the left West, a curved glazed staircase sculpture, kitchen right and entrance left either side, leading left back to a porte cochere for vehicles and connected outbuilding for store provision, bicycles, and wood store. Balconies with glass balusters project around the upper perimeter in each major direction of framed view.

Bird's eye view

...from the South East, clearly shows the roof courtyard concept with adjacent Family-Room. Green roofs top off the highest planes, while white acrylic render, sharpens the contemporary style of the wall finish. The upper Family-Room also has a Master Bedroom and ensuite facilities so could double up as a flat separate from the house, the stair entry arrange so that each level can be self-contained, for hire as holiday accommodation for example, for this area is highly attractive for leisure and tourism.

A neat solution providing flexibility for the owners in the present and later on in retirement. With a considered planting scheme, to ground and upper courtyard it could provide a very green attractive, personal and engaging environment, close up and distant.

Hanna Luibenski