Browsing Tag

the modern house

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A CRAFTED HOME

26th September 2016

Many of my favourite period houses that I’ve seen over the years – especially those in urban locations – have featured extensions, usually to create new dining-kitchen spaces, and the reasons behind these projects have been similar: the existing kitchens were too small for modern living and often too gloomy, and many of these period homes had a poor connection with the external spaces. When you live in the city and have a garden, you want to enjoy it; you want that fluid indoor-outdoors connection.

And, of course, it’s not only about creating the nice big dining-kitchen: it’s about the whole flow of space internally. It’s about creating family orientated living zones and entertaining spaces. And this elegant three bedroom Victorian house in London’s Dartmouth Park, which is being marketed by The Modern House, ticks all these boxes.

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THE NEW ROAD RESIDENCE

26th August 2016

Putting contemporary architecture aside for a moment, if I had to choose one period of architecture that I’m most drawn to it would be Georgian. Having lived in Edinburgh for just over twenty years, this is probably no surprise – I’m surrounded by Georgian architecture every day. The simplicity, the balance, the quiet elegance – this is an aesthetic that I could never tire of. I love historic buildings, but there’s just something about Georgian houses that draws me to them time and time again. Think timber panelling, simple fireplaces, delicate cornicing, flagstone floors… it doesn’t get better.

Which brings me to The New Road Residence. This has to be one of the most beautiful and restrained and sympathetically designed Georgian houses that I’ve come across, and it’s available to let with The Modern House.

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HOUSE FOR A PAINTER

28th July 2016

Years ago, I visited an incredible property called Sea Loft in the Fife coastal town of Kinghorn. Sea Loft was the home and studio of artists Robert Callender and Elizabeth Ogilvie, who created the space by converting a previously derelict cinema. The volume and the natural light thundering into the all-white studio was incredible, and no less so in the couple’s living area with its sea views. It was a wonderful example of a living space and studio that worked together, cohesive in design and approach, to create an unforgettable home.

And this London house, House for a Painter, although very different in location, shares that same unique quality and the wonderful sense of light and volume. Whereas Sea Loft was about views outside to the landscape, this house offers long views between the studio and living zones, an “internal landscape,” as architect Dingle Price refers to it, where one area flows into the next.

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HAWKHURST

18th July 2016

It isn’t every day that you come across a property that has been converted from a 19th century greenhouse, but then this house in the Kent village of Hawkhurst is far from your everyday property. As I was looking through the listings with The Modern House, this image above caught my eye. This photo reminded of the Victorian greenhouses that I’ve long admired within the walled garden of Cambo Estate in Fife – greenhouses that had become so decrepit in time that they were replaced this year with Alitex greenhouses that look very, very like the originals.

But even when decrepit, the originals had such character, particularly when viewed against the old brickwork of the walled garden, and – stating the obvious really – the light once inside was just beautiful. So imagine having a greenhouse like this as part of your home.

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HEREFORD ROAD

13th April 2016

I’ve just been writing about a flat in Edinburgh where the owners have built up a diverse collection of artworks and also have a passion for books – the walls are literally filled with the things they love – and this reminded me that when you’re looking at properties, it’s the homes with personality that always catch your eye. Yes, sometimes it’s about the dramatic volume of a space, or the beauty of the architecture, but sometimes you’re drawn to the pieces; the artworks and collections of objects that make this one interior, this one property, stand out from everything else you’ve seen.

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MARSH VIEW

18th March 2016

When I saw this house pop up on my Facebook feed from The Modern House I knew I had to share it. What is it about black timber houses that makes them so appealing? I’m clearly not alone in this fascination: if you search for ‘black timber houses‘ on Dezeen you’ll find a staggering 3,290 results.

This exterior of this three bedroom house just outside the town of Burnham Market in Norfolk has a combination of black-painted timber and brick, and according to the book The New Country Style: England (by Ingrid Rasmussen and Chloe Grimshaw) its striking form was inspired in part by the angular shape of the local Norfolk windmills.

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