Envisioned by designers Mailen Design and Peter Bradford Architects, Weald House is a solitary one-story family home in the heart of the Kentish countryside. The new residence, it is to be hoped will in its design demonstrate a modern emphasis on the traditional agricultural black barn over rustic charm and Scandinavian living. Clad in blackened timber it wraps around the low-lying pitched-roof building, and the dark zinc roof completes this rural hideaway within this picturesque landscape.
“We wanted to create a home that feels deeply connected to its natural surroundings while offering comfortable and modern family living,” said Ben Mailen, Director of Mailen Design. The architects drew inspiration from the region’s vernacular agricultural buildings, celebrating familiar volumes and materials within a love letter to the local landscape. Weald House is L-shaped in plan and covers 385 square meters.
One wing houses the open-plan living areas, while the other contains four ensuite bedrooms. Expansive glazing on the south-facing facades allows for sweeping views of the surrounding meadows, offering a strong connection to nature while maintaining privacy. Smaller openings on the north-facing side provide light without compromising seclusion.
The layout of the building takes on a residential plan that forms an intimate sequence of rooms that benefit from deep eaves overlaid to protect glazed sections. A vast entrance hall opens into the domestic centre of the building where the kitchen, dining, and living take on identities through sleek black finishes and contemporary furniture. A blackened stainless-steel island divides the kitchen with the dining area, and the concrete fireplace anchors the lounge.
It boasts 45 solar panels and two air-source heat pumps to cut its carbon footprint. The house further utilizes rainwater harvesting where runoff is collected from the roof into subterranean tanks. The understated interior, with white walls and porcelain tiles, works well with the shifting colors of the landscape through the seasons.
