BLURRED BOUNDARIES Sliding doors connect the large, social kitchen-diner to the garden


agricultural barns, old cottages, wood panelling and terracotta tiles. Having a bright white house didn’t feel like it was hunkering down in its environment at all.” Despite their desire to restore the flintwork, install wood windows and clad the extensions in larch, their initial ideas were rejected by the planners. Athena therefore took it upon herself to photograph as many of the neighbouring properties as possible to build their case. Their architect, Paul Cashin, also helped them contest the decision. “He explained the intent to be sympathetic to the local area, and asked which hardwood they’d like us to use etc,” explains Athena. “We made the case that it was environmentally sound and a value added to the local area.”


Eventually they managed to agree a LOW POINT


“Coming up against the snags and having massive delays, the biggest of which was the windows and doors.” – Athena Hubble


july/august 2019


compromise – oak windows and a larch cladding that would weather over time. “It was a big win for us,” says Athena. “It was pretty critical because it would have looked like a house with two extensions irrespective of what you did, unless you were able to clad it in some way.” Their case was helped by their neighbour’s support – they were happy as their view got “a lot better.” Not only were they planning to incorporate the garage into the main part of the house and therefore remove its “big plastic door”, they would also conceal an existing flat roof with terracotta tiles, as well as remove the balustrading and the PVCu door to the roof. In addition a flat, electric rooflight would be added plus sedum so it would “become part of the nature reserve,” says Athena.


DESIGN COLLABORATION Having done projects previously, Athena was keen to work closely with their architect on the design – and picking them wasn’t a decision she took lightly. Working with architects “can be challenging,” she says of previous experiences. “They can go off on tangents and spend your money for you!” She was impressed by Paul’s website. “I could tell he was about blending in, a natural feel,” she says.


Upon meeting him, she says she could tell immediately “we were on the same page. He’s passionate about it and so am I so that’s what bonded us.” Athena describes her process as designing “inside out” and Paul responded to that. “It’s a passion of mine, interiors and design and using organic materials,” she says. The project evolved with Athena describing and sketching how she wanted things to feel, how she wanted to use the space, or what particular views she wanted and Paul coming up with ideas and solutions to give her that. “He really listened,” she says. However, he also challenged her on certain areas where he felt strongly she needed to reconsider or look at alternatives. “He was good at reminding me about little things, like the light, and adding a second fuseboard outside so it wouldn’t cost as much to run everything to it,” she says. “Making the right decisions at that point will save you money.”


The couple’s main requirement, other than using organic materials, was to create spaces that worked for socialising, while restoring character to the cottage, as well as adding it to


www.sbhonline.co.uk 67


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100