If you can’t decide whether ultra-modernism or patinated history is your thing, Hunts Green Barn near leafy Henley-on-Thames in rural Oxfordshire might just be the home for you. A pair of Grade II listed agricultural buildings have been linked together, their heritage respected and restored - while architects McLaren.Excell have added a stripped back minimalist finish to contrast with the exposed beams that your new country life insists on. We’re more relaxed already.
Hunts Green Barn is no ordinary barn conversion. A slew of awards - Home Transformation of the Year in the British Homes Awards; shortlisted for 'The Architects’ Journal' Retrofit Awards; a winner in the Homebuilding and Renovation Awards sponsored by ‘The Telegraph’ among others - is testament to that. And so is the sheer rightness of how this conversion of a 16th century barn sits in its landscaped grounds - and even more so when an uncompromising steel entry door is opened.
Sixteenth century barn? Meet 21st century taste. Floors to a welcoming living area are minimalist poured concrete, the more to contrast with the frankly breathtaking timber-lined walls and soaring ceiling overhead. This is audacious architecture, make no mistake. Open kitchen area showcases only the finest appliances - Reito Grigio worktops, Miele hob, Gaggenau fridge - while black steel framed sliding windows further emphasise the contrast between old and new. Blue steel surround to wood burner continues the arresting design philosophy.
Old meets new
Relaxed sitting room is adjacent in a slightly newer building, while bedrooms - one below, three upstairs - are in the same part of the house, accessed via an inviting corridor and down some stairs. There’s no pretence of old where only new exists, and no pretence of new where only old predominates. It all just feels so very right. As do the extensive patio areas outside in the professionally landscaped gardens.
Architects McLaren.Excell sum up their work as specialising in "thoughtful, finely crafted buildings with a calm and distinctive sense of place”. One look at these images shows vividly how well they’ve applied that philosophy in rural Oxfordshire. We say rural, but Henley-on-Thames is close enough by to help when the need for an artisanal macha or beetroot latte becomes overwhelming.
So Hunts Green Barn is simultaneously your house in the country and your key to a sensible work/life balance. For those pesky London office days, Paddington is 45 minutes away from Henley station, where there’s parking to leave the 911. With two acres to play with, the rest of your time is spoken for in meandering around your gardens, and doing a little light landscaping yourself. That’s when you’re not working out in the private gym or reclining on the patio. We’re convinced - and if you are The Modern House, who are marketing this property, are awaiting your call. Have £2,995,000 to hand and Hunts Green Barn is all yours, Porsche and barn owls not included.
