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Architecture | Residential & Houses

Meadow House


Ström Architects



Short description

Our clients, who were living in London, were searching for the right opportunity to create a family home outside the city when they found this idyllic woodland site. They were inspired by what might be described as a modernist ‘pavilion’ style that embraces simplicity, functionality, and a strong connection with the surrounding environment.

From the outset, the clients were heavily involved in the project; we worked with them to develop the brief, evolve the concept into a refined design, select materials and products, and see it through on site. The client even joined the construction team, helping to build the house himself, alongside managing other trades on site.

Eager to proceed, they initiated the start on the construction drawings at risk whilst the planning application was running, and undertook to manage the project themselves. Construction packages were strategically phased to expedite the commencement of work on site. Due to the nature of the build, we assumed an enhanced role, overseeing the design, coordination, and procurement of key packages, including the interior design and hard landscaping.

Spanning six acres on the periphery of the village conservation area and nestled within the green belt, the scale and massing of the house were paramount considerations for the planning process, in order to ensure that the development would blend harmoniously into the parkland setting.

Our proposals introduce a series of stone 'blade' walls that divide the house into four distinct functional zones or ‘pavilions’. This design reduces the scale of the accommodation and allows each pavilion to be understood as an individual architectural element, experienced as a singular stand-alone entity. The materiality and architectural language bind them together however, to bring continuity and coherence across the wings.

To the north-east is the garage volume, containing utility, plant, gym, and boot room. To the south-east, the guest bedrooms are strategically nestled into the ground to minimise visual impact and look onto the walled kitchen garden. To the south-west is the bedroom wing, designed to capture the morning light, with the master bedroom offering panoramic views of the fields. The final ‘pavilion’ is dedicated to the social areas: kitchen, dining and living room.

At the centre of the plan lies the 2-storey volume, which houses the entrance and reception area, serving as the primary access and circulation space to each wing. This space extends up vertically through a double-height staircase to the client’s study and sitting room. At an early stage this space was nicknamed “The Negroni Room”, after their favourite drink that they imagined themselves enjoying up there, separated from the rest of the house and the everyday demands of family life. From this elevated vantage point, one can enjoy captivating views of the surrounding countryside.

The over-sailing roofs, in conjunction with the blade walls, serve as distinctive features of the house. The timber soffit runs seamlessly from inside to outside, strengthening the roof's cohesive appearance and ensuring a link between the internal and external environments. Similarly, the large format porcelain tiles continue out from the house onto the external terraces, to create unified floor planes. We further reinforce the internal-external relationship by expressing the strong external blade walls internally – they are seen flowing through the full-height windows and into the house. Continuing the stone finishes internally gives a tactile quality, and blurs the boundary between the built form and natural setting.

Extending these blade walls into the landscape creates a series of enclosed spaces, each possessing its own identity and purpose. Combined with ground and roof planes that echo this integration we ensure that the house is firmly grounded to the site.

The house features a simple material palette, including wood, stone, and glass. It utilises a delicate steel frame that supports the cantilevering roof and allows for an unobstructed glass façade, seamlessly connecting the interior to the surrounding landscape.

We worked closely with the clients to ensure that elements such as joinery, and the furniture selection, were just as integrated with the architecture, as the building fabric itself. We designed bespoke joinery such as the kitchen cabinetry, which flows into the living space, housing a fireplace, storage wall and media centre. A matching wine store and homework area help tie all aspects of the design together, ensuring continuity and consistent craftsmanship throughout.

Furthermore, the complex co-ordination of lighting, ventilation, AV and other service systems, was crucial to creating an uncluttered and beautifully simple aesthetic. The oak battens on the ceiling hide these services, and they have been carefully set out to house speakers, light fittings, and vents, in the most discreet way. Similarly, the long corridor leading to the master bedroom houses a full-height bespoke pivot door, that can be opened to sit flush along the wall – thereby creating an uninterrupted smooth wall in which the door is invisible.

The result of our close relationship with the clients, is a home that is a great reflection of them - their interests, their daily routines, and their needs. Their busy family life with young children is accommodated through practical inclusions - like a large bootroom and storage zone tucked away near the front door, or ‘breakfast’ cupboards that allow kitchen appliances and morning mess to be hidden from view, yet still readily accessible.

These considerations sit alongside the luxury of generous reception rooms, high quality fittings, precisely-detailed joinery, and beautifully tactile materials.

Meadow House is our response to the clients’ desire to marry their love of architecture, with the realistic daily demands of domesticity. The house feels at once luxurious, and intimate; it is comfortable, yet still special; it is practical, whilst also beautiful. It reflects our belief that even the everyday details should bring joy, and reflect the care and attention that has been poured into them, from concept through to completion.

Ström Architects delight in our involvement in interior and landscape design, enabling us to continue the design ethos of the architecture. The seamless integration between indoor and outdoor spaces significantly contributes to the realisation of this exceptional building.

Entry details
LocationEssex, UK
Lead designerMagnus Strom
Consultant teamStructural Engineer: Jensen Hunt Design / Services Engineer & SAP Advisor: Mesh Energy / Landscape Architects: Ström Architects with Emily Erlam Studio / Quantity Surveyor: Graham Amphlett / Building Control: Studious Ltd / Arboriculturist: Crown Tree Consultancy
Photography creditsHelena Lee Photography
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