architect design™

We all have become acquainted with Bunny's gardens through previous books and while briefly discussed in this book, it focuses more on the houses and collections themselves. 
I love this shot from Thomas Lloyd of Bunny giving a tour of her Basket House (now part of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation). 
A close up shot of the sink in her famous garden room by designer Bryan Huffman gives a close up look of the trompe l'oeil work of artist Fernand Renard. 
I cannot stress how much I enjoyed this book, I nickname it the Bunny Bible!  With everything you could possibly want to know about her secrets on home and entertaining, Bunny Mellon Style is truly the gift of the season and a must for any design library. Pre-order your copy today!

On my recent vacation spent touring English country houses one of the best decisions was to rent a property from The Landmark Trust. The Landmark Trust is a charity that rescues important buildings that would otherwise be lost. The best part?  They then make them available for rent to help fund their enterprise; Most brilliant idea ever! 
We rented a mid 18th century lodge in the shape of a French chateau built by a local lawyer as his weekend getaway bachelor pad. This central UK location in Lincolnshire provided a spot to explore 8 different country houses within 8 days;  each being only about an hours drive away.
A full history is made available for all of their rentals online, some of which are quite interesting. The draw here though isn't the history but rather the bucolic setting overlooking the River Trent and surrounded by 100s of sheep and other wildlife.
Bunnies in the backyard and sheep in the frontyard (is this a country song?).  I could have stayed here forever. Having perfect early June weather didn't hurt.
Above: Looking back towards the house from the river.  The most perfect siting for the most perfect little house.  The house was basically a ruin when the Trust took over in 1982. Architect Philip Jebb worked with the Trust to restore what was left but basically rebuild the Grade 2 listed property and update with modern kitchen, bath, etc.  Read more about that HERE.
 Perfectly situated table and chairs to admire the view of the River Trent.
 Shall we go in?
One enters a few feet below grade into what originally was service space,unconnected to the rooms above on the main floor. During the renovation an interior staircase was inserted into one of the small wings.
This lower level has all of the basic services still; bathroom, mechanical space, a kitchen, and storage.  Upstairs on the main level are the living spaces.  Plan from the Landmark Trust website - all of their rentals include floorplans which make for a lot of #floorplanporn!
On the interior the only original elements are this octagonal stone floor which instructed how the space was to be laid out and the fireplace stone upstairs.
Expenses were not spared in creating the quality of space downstairs that one expected from the main level -including this really charming lattice work. Above is the dining nook. Notice the integrated wood interior shutters on all of the windows. All the furniture is antique with vintage light fixtures which add to the charm.
This compact kitchen had everything needed to make a full meal: oven, range, refrigerator, and an enormous selection of cookware. The most perfect countryside view from the kitchen sink was a bonus. The rather complicated oven turned out to be great: toaster, microwave, and oven all in one!
The side wing on the lower level was fitted out as a dressing room / storage which was very useful in keeping clutter at bay.
 Heading upstairs into the high and light filled living space was always a tiny thrill!
But turning around in the stairwell one was rewarded with a view of the river and a nuclear power plant which cast a beautiful red glow at night. While at first the power plant view seemed rather strange and out of sorts in the bucolic setting(in the far distance a few miles away), it quickly became one of my favorite things about this quirky little house.
The down-filled comfy sofa was incredibly comfortable and the little tables were great to move around to hold your book, cup of tea, or even a meal of cheese and crackers. The only music was provided by opening the French doors to the bahhing of the neighbor sheep which provided endless hours of entertainment, particularly the lambs!
A little bedroom nook mirrored the staircase. My one complaint is only one of the windows was left open with the other 2 covered by sheets of painted plywood.  One would have felt as if in a treehouse with windows on all 3 sides of the bed (refer to photos in the beginning of the post and the floorplan to see the windows on the exterior). This is easily reversible.
The proportions of the room were so perfect I measured them for future reference! 4' wide double doors and a 13' tall coved ceiling just for the record. 
 All of the interior trimwork is new in a typical Georgian style as a guess as to what would have been here originally: notice the wide plank wood floors. Deep windowsills hold the interior shutters and radiators.  The only original detail in the space is the stone fireplace surround.
 At night it was a cozy place to light a fire and enjoy a book or game of cards. As it was June daybreak was at around 4am and it stayed light until nearly 10:30 at night!
I highly recommend a stay in any Landmark Trust property but in particular The Chateau!!
All pictures my own, floorplan via the landmark trust website. 

I think most bloggers get an annoying amount of junk email from publicists, but every once in awhile one sees something so special it speaks to you and you want to share it with your readers.  This was the case when this renovation project by architect Tim Brown from Austin Texas landed in my inbox.
While this may not necessarily be the type of thing I normally feature here on ArchitectDesign, I think good design comes in all shapes and sizes. It's not all classical all the time but rather architecture is a formula to fix all problems and appropriateness is key.  The most surprising thing about this project is just how little it took to take a really awful suburban house and turn it into something special.
When the clients found the house it was the most unfriendly looking facade you could ever find.  However using the good bones hidden under poor decisions the architect was able to make this nothing-burger of a house really shine through minor re-organization of spaces and new finishes.  That's what a good architect can do for you, particularly in a renovation like this, make what you already have work and work well!
We always tell clients to look beyond what is there now and think about what it can be. Maybe the golden rule of real estate (location location location) is the motivating factor or perhaps other fundamental qualities of the house are appealing. In this case the mid-century design translated well into a friendlier contemporary  home.
Stepping inside right way the changes are drastic but minimal.  Changing out the private courtyard which obscured the front door into an open and friendly entry is welcoming.  Re-configuring the stair still allows for the rest of the house to feel private (and points you closer to the kitchen for midnight snacks!)
In this before shot you can see how the stairs previously dumped you into the entry landing -and the home depot doors did not fit the style of the house.
I imagine furring in the ceiling beams not only created a clean aesthetic for the double height living room but allowed for insulation.
The reconfiguration continued with the flipping of the kitchen and former dining room space off the living room. Now the dining table enjoys views of the pool deck (more on that later) while the kitchen stays central to the space. Yes, this is the same room!
The new contemporary stair railing fits nicely with the mid-century vibe while the Ann Sacks tiles lining the stair stringer are also a fun nod to the past.
A wall of storage separates the dining from the living room; the verticals are another mid-century design detail. Now the house is full of light and views of the backyard.
I believe most families today live at their kitchen island and this one has center stage in the new kitchen.
 The den tucked behind the dining room allows for privacy during game day or movie night.
The existing mid-century clerestory windows work well in the new contemporary bathrooms. I'm always intrigued by these 'wet rooms' within bathrooms. Here you see the tub inside the shower enclosure; it feels so convenient and easy to use.
While the front of the house was nicely cleaned up, the back of the house really shines now with a new cantilevered roof  which expands the living footprint of the house. I can imagine spending a lot of time back here!
 Previously the back of the house was a design afterthought - who would want to spend time there?
You can take or leave the swimming pool (ok, actually take!) but the cute dog stays for sure. Save the best for last!
All photos courtesy of Leonid Frumanski and Tim Brown architecture

I've recently been looking back at a cache of saved emails I have from my online penpal Neil (who if you remember sadly passed away last year) and came across photos of a small town in Gloucestershire, Lechlade, that he had visited.
Not only is the town near one of his favorite houses which I've blogged about before, Buscot Park (see that post HERE), the surrounding towns have a lot to offer including some really beautiful gardens and houses made of the local stone.
There is nothing I love better than an old house with a crunchy gravel drive -note the wisteria on the bay window above too.
Located centrally in the town is the 15th century church of St Lawrence and the beautiful parish house above.
 This is the southern edge of the Cotswolds so you get a fair number of their famous stone cottages here as well.
 I think just these few pictures are reason enough to prove why this area is such a tourist destination.
In nearby Fairford is the Bull Hotel which looks absolutely charming as your home away from home while touring country houses, small villages, and antique shops. Next vacation perhaps?