Can't decide between cosy traditional or achingly contemporary for your country escape? Nestling on the Hampshire/Surrey border lies a picture perfect cottage that's been audaciously updated and added to by Invisible Studio architects to provide the very best of both. Folly Cottage might at first glance carry the look of its early 19th century origins, but extensions and interiors carry the stamp of sublimely confident 21st century design, celebrating materials and space - and above all inviting the landscaped gardens into the home. Nice isn't it? Luckily for you, it's also up for sale.
Architects Invisible Studio have not sought to mimic the original 1802 workers’ cottage. Instead the extension, at right angles to the old cottage, provides references and contrasts to honour it. A double-pitched roof of the new structure speaks to that of its elder, while blackened timber cladding echoes local vernacular. But floor to ceiling windows – sliding open to 1.5 acres of gardens by Sam Ovens - speak entirely of 21st century taste. That audacity works, and then some.
Folly Cottages's original ground floor spaces have been opened up to create a highly contemporary farmhouse kitchen, with concrete fixtures cast on site. There's a deliberately rough hewn feel to the cabinetry so as to avoid the sense that this is a city home in the country. Far from it. Large living space connects directly to the kitchen and dining area, punctuated by a sculptural staircase. This is where the large glazing really speaks to the greenery outside and welcomes in its peace and quiet. Log burning stoves are set for long warm evenings of conversation.
Changing rooms
A showstopper main bedroom is to the first floor of the new part of the structure with a dual-pitched ceiling, concrete benches to the picture windows and a dressing room adjacent. Two further upstairs bedrooms are also ensuite, retaining original wood floors as a reminder that beyond all the concrete and the statement grey-framed windows, this is remains a historic property. A fourth downstairs bedroom also has its own bathroom. Your guests are well served. Two enticing studios – one with its own shower room and large terrace, a second that's almost a bird watching hide – are located in the grounds.
History and modernity combine with deceptive ease at Folly Cottage. Hampshire landscape embraces it so you'll always feel a part of what's outside. Interiors invite relaxation. Plus those two studios to escape to when guests make life in the main house a little too demanding. You'll be wondering how large a cheque you'll have to write. The Modern House, who are marketing Folly Cottage, are asking £2,495,000, which, for a unique place that will surely transform your life, doesn't seem too exorbitant.
