A Bespoke British Barn Extension

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Dovecote Barn, Tye Architects Tye Architects Modern houses
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Today we bring you an amazing modern addition to a heritage barn and we think that you'll agree, the results are spectacular. Far from being a disjointed or non-cohesive building, what has been created is valuable extra space that serves to introduce natural light into the house, without detracting from the original aesthetics of the barn.

Adding depth to what was a long and narrow building,  the extension has been put to great use as a dining room and secondary lounge, with exemplar views of the perfectly landscaped garden. Making the house far more family-friendly, the glass and timber box extension offers valuable privacy for both residents and neighbours, but thanks to the glazing slots, also brings in an excess of sparkling natural light.

Let's take a closer look at this extraordinary build!

Perfect companions

We just love the way that the flat-roofed rectangular extension almost seems to disappear into the shadow of the original house, as it makes the addition so much less jarring and far more complementary. While extra space has clearly been added and with a modern feel, by not going overboard with a crazy design, the original barn has been shown the respect and courtesy that it deserves and as such, has magnanimously welcomed the new extension.

The team at Nicolas Tye have accomplished something extremely rare here; a seamless melding of old and new styles to create a harmonious whole and we are in awe of the result.

From inside

It was clear to see that thanks to the myriad of garden-facing glazing, the interior of the extension would be light and airy, but there could have been no way of predicting such a wonderful view and spacious feel. Even though the roof height is relatively low, the room doesn't feel cramped or claustrophobic, in fact, it manages to merely feel like an extension of the outside.

The use of natural wood for the dining table and chairs helps to solidify the feeling that we are actually outside, ensconced in nature and by keeping functional areas of the room separate, it is easy to prevent the space from feeling too cluttered.

Different ideas

You may be wondering why, with such a beautiful view of the garden, the sofa has been placed this way round, but we think we know the answer. Designed to be a a secondary living room space, the sofa has been kept distraction free so that family members can enjoy interacting with each other, free of a television or any other media. What a pleasant return to a more traditional way of socialising and with that lovely warm rug underfoot too, we can picture long, relaxing evenings spent here, with nobody vying for sofa space and being simply happy to lay on the floor.

Cosy corner

Perfect for more solitary readers, this fantastically cosy corner allows for everybody to be in the same room, while also doing exactly what they want. After all, nobody said that quality time has to be spent in each others pockets!

A little darker than the rest of the room, thanks to the use of solid wood, we like the use of a focussed reading lamp to inject illumination where it is needed and nowhere else and that almost reclining armchair looks so comfortable that we don't know if we would trust ourselves to not fall asleep mid-chapter!

Close up

Had the reading corner been completely enclosed, it could have been a little too dark and would have detracted from the light and airy nature of the rest of the space, but thanks to the inspired use of cut outs and glazed panels, not only has a visually stunning aspect been created, but also a practical one.

Using the cut outs as trinket display shelves is nothing short of inspired and helps to breathe new life and personality into this modern extension. By drawing personal belongings, that would be just as at home in the main barn, out into the new section, a natural relationship between the two is confirmed and we think it's fabulous.

After dark

We always like to include a snapshot of new extensions when they are lit up at night, as we really think that you get a great feel for just how stunning they are at any time of day. It is clear that this is no exception, with the glass box design elegantly playing host to evening socialisation and cosy living. An entire family could happily be enclosed in this room, engaged in various activities and not feel as though they are in too close proximity to each other, yet close enough to interact and have fun. Perfect!

For more glass extension inspiration, take a look at this Ideabook: An Exemplar Edinburgh Home Extension.

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