The property is an exciting new build home in Suffolk by Nash Baker Architects. The house utilises a palette of natural and traditional materials to blend with the rural street scene, and the exterior uses oak cladding and handmade bricks (both locally sourced) to blend with the architectural character of the village. To create a more distinctive look, the bricks were laid in a variation of ‘Monks bond’ using white iron-free sand for the lime mortar which was sourced from the local Wivenhoe pit.

The client’s brief was to replace the incongruous pre-existing 1980’s building with an exceptional contemporary home that was both sympathetic to the neighbouring properties, whilst still being of its time. They required an open plan living arrangement that on the ground floor would provide them with dedicated work rooms for their respective professional activities as silversmith and baker, and a first floor, that could take advantage of the natural daylight and the expansive views across the marshes to Orford Ness, and the coast beyond.

In contrast to the brickwork at the ground floor, the upper level appears lightweight, utilising ribbons of untreated oak cladding to wrap up and across a pitched roof. The oak cladding was sized to match the brick course dimensions, so that the two elements of construction have a complimentary design intent.

Internally, the house has a muted decorative scheme with exposed concrete ceilings complemented by a floor of whitewashed Douglas fir planks and fitted joinery made with lacquered birch faced plywood. Studio and office rooms occupy the left side of the ground floor layout, mirrored on the right of the rear reception room by an open plan kitchen area defined by a parallel wooden dining surface in walnut with expressed dovetail joints. The reception room opens out onto a red brick terrace and garden through a series of glazed sliding doors, mirrored on the upper storey where corresponding doors on the master bedroom and en-suite bathroom open out onto a covered terrace sheltered by the oak clad roof that gives spectacular views of the Orford Ness marshes and the Suffolk coast.

The careful specification of materials and technical detailing have created a dwelling which is sensitive to its historic setting, yet unashamedly modern.