Exterior
Grow to the side The extension to this bothy helped turn it into a house. The timber cladding makes the side addition distinct from the original structure, but both exterior materials have a natural warmth that allows them to work together. The cladding also fits nicely with the building’s tree-filled setting.
Be modern – but sympathetic A black timber finish on this rear extension makes it stand out, and there’s no mistaking that it’s a new structure added to a period home. However, choosing black makes it sympathetic to the surrounding charcoal slate roofs and black guttering, creating a pleasing harmony. Staggering the back wall to mirror the shape of the original house also helps the new-build section look at home.
ry heritage green… If you live in a country cottage – or even if you don’t – and want to try a traditional ‘outdoors’ heritage shade, then a classic grey green can be a good choice for wooden window frames, and less harsh than white. These Accoya windows have been painted in Farrow & Ball’s Lichen, a muted green that works well with natural brickwork.
Mark Hazeldine Photography SaveEmail …whether your house is old or new Porches come in as many shapes and sizes as do front doors, and this rustic design may look a million miles away from the sleek, contemporary take on the idea just seen, but it serves the same basic purpose: shelter! If it’s raining, you have protection at the door, but also what feels like a designated zone for casting off wellies muddy from a countryside walk. The owners of this house have also made good use of the low wall and column forming the porch for storing logs, a function that also ramps up rustic appeal.
A crisp white inside can generally be done far more wholeheartedly than on the outside, where architectural details come in a mixture of surfaces and shades, and often won’t be things you’d want to paint – here, for example, the bare brickwork looks beautiful. So celebrate the exterior of your door with eye-catching paint – like a downstairs loo, it’s a space where you can afford to decorate boldly. This modern gunmetal grey is a cool foil to the stained-glass panels. It also ties in with the grey in the hall floor tiles.
ick up on surrounding colours This dinky door looks all the cuter because it matches the scale of the little windows (it’s always good to think carefully of the visual implications before altering or modernising external proportions). But to ensure it complements the house even more, the owners have chosen a soft grey-green shade that picks up some of the tones in the stone walls.
This old telephone exchange demonstrates how stylish it can look. Here, black window frames have also been installed for a very streamlined look, but you could take inspiration from the wooden homes dotting the beach at Dungeness in Kent and team a black wooden exterior with bright yellow window frames, or another hot, contrasting shade.
Lead with the windows After… By altering the arrangement of windows on the first floor and creating a super-wide-format frame around the large garage door and front entrance, the proportions of the house have been lifted tremendously. The bold red on the front door and warmth of colour on the garage also add some sparkle that was missing before, but it is essentially the same house – it just feels much more special.
Bind together This extension is clearly modern, but the boards of the red cedar cladding were chosen to match the size of the Victorian brickwork to tie the two together. If you like the idea of timber cladding silvering over time, follow this example by opting for an untreated wood that will allow the colour change.
Q