PAD studio has completed a serene three bedroom home in the New Forest National Park featuring light, natural interiors and strong connections to the outdoors for a London-based family.
PAD studio was originally commissioned to reorganise an existing ramshackle cottage on the large, verdant site which was haphazardly extended over many decades. The local planning authority recommended PAD studio design a new, sustainable and cohesive home rather than revive the disjointed cottage, on the condition the new home matched the footprint of the old.
PAD studio designed an L-shape plan of two connected pitched-roof volumes, which minimise the scale of the development. The architects clad the house in timber battens and white render in reference to neighbouring A-frame chalets in the rural hamlet, neatly meeting both the client brief and local planning stipulations.
A long glazed hallway and open walkway line the internal boundary of the L-shaped home, designed to offer visual connections to the main living dining area and tranquil garden of ponds and timber decking. Two bedrooms, a family bathroom, and main bedroom complete with shower ensuite occupies one wing of the home, while an open plan living, dining, kitchen and utility space occupies the other. PAD studio cleverly maximised the restricted site size by incorporating a new conservatory in the plan, which is characterised by corner and overhead glazing in the main dining space.
Craftsmanship is apparent at each turn in the Clay Retreat. The interior palette of natural materials including oak, polished concrete and plaster, and jute were chosen to bounce light throughout the home. A specially-cast concrete hearth lines the living space, while also forming a shelf in the utility and boot room behind the fireplace. A bespoke stair rail leading to a mezzanine study is wrapped in almost half a kilometre (453m) of sisal rope, which took a week to hand weave. Walls and ceilings are hand washed in natural clayworks plaster, adding a muted, textured finish throughout. Floor to ceiling bespoke oak wardrobes line the bedrooms and utility room to offer plentiful storage.
PAD studio imbued the new home with the family’s calm character and incorporated references from their multicultural heritage. Influenced by Japanese customs of entry, PAD studio used various flooring materials including brick, concrete and timber to create clear demarcations and thresholds between shoes-on and shoes-off spaces. The house features versatile ledges along hallway windows in the children’s bedrooms, offering a variety of spaces to spend time curled up with a book while still having a connection to the wider home and views to the surrounding nature. Mezzanines in the children’s bedrooms add optional sleeping spaces to maximise use of the restricted floor plan and provide secondary spaces for reading and rest.
The Clay Retreat embodies PAD studio’s commitment to responsive, environmentally-focused architecture. The home is heavily insulated, featuring triple glazed windows and thermal bridging to stop heat loss. Sealed for airtightness, openable windows were carefully arranged in line with PAD’s natural ventilation strategy. An air source heat pump provides an off-grid solution to provide background heating and heating hot water contained in a thermal store. Photovoltaic panels generate electrical power to off-set the use of the mechanical systems, neutralising their power use. The timber frame structure includes blown paper insulation in the roof, while the fully insulated raft foundation system uses 60% less concrete (on average) compared to traditional foundations.
Ricky Evans, Associate Architect at PAD studio says:
“Being located in the New Forest National Park, we were intent on delivering a contemporary design that sits lightly in its setting. Having such strong support from the local planning authority from the outset allowed us to deliver a home that functions both for our clients and the environment.”
Clients, Oscar & Emi Peterson say:
“We purchased an old holiday house in the New Forest district which was liveable but the spaces didn’t work for us as a family. There was an old, cold conservatory, the bathroom was tucked away from the rest of the house, and it was quite dark with no connection to the large garden. We wanted to work with architects who understood the intricate planning requirements of the New Forest District, and immediately felt a connection with PAD’s work, as well as with Ricky and Wendy. Their calm, quiet approach and sensitivity to our brief meant the process was a very smooth and enjoyable one.”
“The new house is so much more usable, we get to enjoy all the spaces now. The house also nods gently to our Japanese side of the family without being too obvious; we like the sliding pocket doors and the brick utility entry as a modern interpretation of the traditional Japanese genkan.”
Team:
Client: Oscar and Emi Peterson
Architect: PAD Studio
Structural engineer: MBC Timber Frame
Main contractor: Belmore Building
Timber Frame: MBC Timber Frame
Internal Joinery: R Hemsworth and Son
Environmental: Enhabit
Ecology consultant: Eco Support
Material Used:
1. Windows & external doors: Kastrup Invi
2. Roof Lights: Kastrup Glazing Vision
3. Internal Walls: Clayworks
4. Concrete floor & hearth: Lazenby
5. Floor Tiles: Ketley Brick
6. Recessed ceiling lights: Orluna
7. Kitchen: Pluck
8. Oak door handles: Allgood, Holt Handle
9. Sanitaryware: The Big Bath Company
10. Stove: Stûv
