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Subverting the traditional, conservatively cozy British barn conversion, Carl Turner created a getaway in rural Norfolk for himself and his friends to visit, repose, and consider the beauty of agrarian minimalism. Turner reclaimed most of the timber used for the flooring as he renovated buildings in London. He thought his stockpile was big enough for the Ochre Barn, but the scale of the place defeated him. The solution, surprisingly, was eBay, turning up an old mill’s worth of boards.

The concrete bench meets the wood of the built-in media cabinet. The floors are also concrete, poured to match the existing floors in the kitchen.

A picture window over a custom concrete bench fashions a window seat. “Family, friends, and animals all enjoy the various places to relax in the lounge,” says the homeowner. “The window seat is universally the most prized nook in the home.”

“We don’t need the full ‘breakfast bar’ that is a feature of so many modern kitchens, as we make a point of eating together as a family at the table for meals,” say the clients. “The stools under the cantilevered bench are usually used while chopping vegetables with a glass of wine in hand.”

A wall of custom blackbutt cabinetry conceals the fridge and lots of storage.

The stove was kept in place in order to retain the position of the gas and venting. The designer dropped the sill on the right-side window to the floor. Sleek black cabinetry is topped with Essastone Concrete Pezzato weathered stone on the perimeter, and custom terrazzo on the island.

Beyond its gable form, the hut rejects conventions of Nordic architecture, instead drawing influence from "imaginary universes of adventure movies from the ’80s,

Wishbone chairs by Hans Wegner for Carl Hansen & Søn surround a custom dining table, which is made out of a leftover piece of scaffolding from construction. The lighting is custom by Heather Dahl.

Due to the grade of the site, the front door opens onto a landing between staircases. A wall-sized pegboard made of Douglas fir plywood is used for hanging coats, bags, and other necessities. “The house is like a well-tailored suit that addresses a range of daily routines,” Cuddington observes.

Karen and Brian’s home is a vibrant new addition to a block of midcentury bungalows in Vancouver, British Columbia. One of the volumes is clad in untreated tongue-and-groove Western red cedar. The other is covered in multicolored cedar shakes, which are skewed at an angle that aligns with the slope of the roof. Architect Clinton Cuddington of Measured Architecture worked with the owners to fine-tune the unconventional pattern and color palette. Concrete from the building that formerly occupied the site was repurposed for the stoop.

A tall picture window in the hallway frames views of the English countryside.

An oversize skylight illuminates the communal bathroom near the home’s entrance.

The home’s three bedrooms are positioned on the eastern end of the residence.

Picture windows span one side of the primary living area opposite the full-height glass wall.

In the kitchen, bespoke titanium cabinetry is topped with burnished stainless-steel worktops.

Polished concrete blocks and a concrete floor are contrasted by a birch plywood tray ceiling. Paola and Jason cut the vertical strips in the ceiling themselves and placed fabric behind to soften the acoustics. Custom brackets were added to the modular seating from West Elm, the table top and legs were found on Etsy, and the chandelier is by Avenue Lighting.