Country Cottage Modern Architecture Photos

Name: Stephanie Jack, and my husband, and three kids
Location: A small village south of Cambridge, England
Type of home: 400-year-old farmer’s cottage with modern extension
Size: 2400 square feet
Years lived in: 1 year, owned

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: We spotted a very run down farmer’s cottage in the village we lived in while out for a family walk and then noticed sometime later that it had been put up for sale. My husband loved the spot, looking out onto fields, and thought it would be a great project. Tom, my husband, is a chartered surveyor so wasn’t put off by the amount of work required, which I found reassuring. Due to the building being listed there were a lot of hoops to jump through restoring this old cottage back to its former glory.

In addition to that, we also needed to add an extension to make it work for us as a family of five. We have two daughters and a son under 8 years old. I worked closely with the architect and he brought to life a glass link modern extension that I had envisioned and after nine months we were granted permission for our design.

It took us approximately one year to renovate and repurpose rooms. We have kept a modern twist on our cottage interior, being sympathetic to beams and the character of the house, where as the extension is a very modern space that works hard as a family room.

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: New meets old.

What is your favorite room and why? The extension has the most amazing views; the feature window really does give the room the wow factor framing it perfectly.

Any advice for creating a home you love? For me it’s all about embracing the fabric of the building, working with what you have, bringing in texture, complementary colors, and plants to give that lovely homely and welcoming feeling.

This submission’s responses have been edited for length and clarity.