When a retired London couple decided to leave city life behind, they set their sights on a 17th-century farmhouse nestled beside an ancient woodland in rural Sussex. Located two hours south of the capital in South Downs National Park, the farmhouse suited their desire for a quieter lifestyle, but it didn’t quite meet their needs spatially. “We are a family of five with grown-up children, and there was a need to expand the living space and function of the house to accommodate our growing family,” explain the homeowners.

Enlisting the help of local architect Tom Turner, the couple set out to replace a staff annex, which had been added in the 1990s, with a more functional guest addition. Besides creating more usable space, a key goal was for the new structure to relate to the existing farmhouse stylistically, but with a contemporary take. “We wanted a modern feel, even if built with traditional materials,” say the homeowners.

The couple sought a counterpoint to the main house, which is typical of 17th-century farmhouses in the region, with low ceilings and cozy rooms. “They had previously lived in a Georgian house in London with large sash windows and high floor-to-ceiling heights, so they wanted the new addition to be light-filled, with a generosity of space,” says Turner.

The result is a sensitive extension that fits seamlessly next to the historic farmhouse, but feels light and airy inside. “The form of the new building follows the form of the historic farmhouse quite closely,” says Turner. “The roof is hipped, which means the pitch goes around on three sides, and the fourth side is half-hipped.” Like the original home, the addition is also timber framed, with exposed oak beams inside that lend a material connection between old and new.

“It’s really the structural logic that gives the home its character, rather than any ornamentation on top of it,” says Turner. Exterior materials of untreated European oak siding and sandstone relate materially to the original home, while the articulation of the facade has a decidedly contemporary expression.

“We were lucky that the local quarry that provided the original stone materials for the home 300 years ago is still in existence, and we were able to echo the stone courses of the original facade—but with a modern twist,” say the homeowners. Additional glazing at the annex’s lower level provides a modern feel, while also welcoming more light to the interior spaces.

Inside, the arrangement of spaces also quotes the plan of the main house. “There’s a back-to-back fireplace subdividing the social spaces for dining and living, which follows the historic core of the farmhouse,” says Turner. Service spaces and a small bedroom round out the ground floor, with two additional bedrooms and bathrooms located above.

Lowering the addition into the ground by a few feet helped the two-story structure pass local planning approvals, while also creating a cozy feel in the sunken lower-level living areas. “Because you’re slightly lowered down, your eye is just above lawn level. You really feel like you’re immersed in the landscape,” says Turner. The homeowners agree, naming this as one of their favorite aspects of the new addition. “When sitting in the living area, you almost have the sensation of being out on the grass as if on a picnic,” they say.

An interior palette of oak—which features in floors, window casements, exposed beams, and doors—brings a sense of texture and warmth to the new addition. A set of sliding doors in the dining area reveals a hidden bar, and a custom-built bookcase in the living area provides open storage for the couple’s art book collection.

While the ground level capitalizes on the airiness created by the double-height space of the dining area, the upstairs bedrooms have a decidedly different feel that’s more cozy and withdrawn. “They have a vertical emphasis,” says Turner of the vaulted ceilings in both bedrooms, which are tucked up into the hipped and half-hipped roof.

Throughout, the new annex nods to tradition, while connecting to the natural elements of light and air in a fresh way. “The juxtaposition between old and new is striking, but at the same time clearly compatible and sympathetic,” say the homeowners. Turner agrees. “We were following clues given by the older house, but then abstracting them and making them work for a more contemporary expression.”

A Timber Artist’s Retreat Sprouts Beside a Stone Cottage in England

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Tom Turner, Tom Turner Architects / @tomturnerarchitects

Contractor: Charlie Curtis, C. Curtis Building

Structural Engineer: Austen Cook, FOLD Consulting Engineers

Photography: Jim Stephenson / @clickclickjim