Our approach was not to fully unpack and empty the house, but to work with it and build upon it. We sought to retain the essence, what we refer to as the soul of the house, while giving it a renewed clarity and presence. The project became another layer in the cottage’s ongoing story.

Central to the experience of inhabiting the house is to inhabit the landscape. Although narrow in plan, the cottage benefits from a long frontage that opens south onto the surrounding Somerset countryside. Behind it, an open field. Seasonal change becomes part of daily life: bright, sun-filled days, misty mornings wrapped in fog, and colder, rain-filled periods that invite retreat into warmth and shelter.

Due to its narrowness, the ground floor is free of corridors. Movement through the house is social and direct, passing from guest room to TV room and into the living space overlooking a wonderful stepped garden facing west. Food and socialising sit at the heart of the owners’ lives, and this is reflected in the design of the main living room. No sofa, rather a long banquette, one that is perhaps longer than necessary, yet just right. The layout and proportions comfortably accommodate a gathering of three as well as a lively group of twenty.

Colour choices and styling were led by the owners in collaboration with Nicola Harding & Co, resulting in a sense of richness and depth that unfolds as you move through the house. Carefully considered sequences of spaces, from light to dark, materiality changes and atmospheres come together to create a home that feels richly alive — shaped by its past, and lived in the present.