When identical twins, designers and gallery owners Nik and Jon Daughtry decided they'd like to live next door to each other, no-one could have predicted these stunning award-winning houses would result. Corn Yard celebrates exposed materials, untreated surfaces, low maintenance - and authentic hard work.
There are no frills here, yet the homes exude an appealing warmth that comes from the brothers' involvement with the project from start to finish. Both are designers and art gallerists. They enlisted the help of architects CODA Bespoke and then spent 18 months creating Corn Yard, from digging the foundations to waxing surfaces.
The site is an old industrial area in the north of Sheffield. Exteriors are in black corrugated steel and feature maximum insulation to minimise energy loss. An adjacent mill pond is used to provide energy for hot water and underfloor heating. Elevation on stilts allows for garaging underneath and views over neighbouring greenery.
These homes are honest and confident enough to reveal exactly what they're made of. Breeze blocks are left exposed, floors are in polished concrete, ceiling panels are unpainted.
Corn Yard won Best Residential Development in the 2018 Northern Design Awards. It's not hard to see why.
Photography by Tom Kahler
In the mood for more of the finest British architecture? Then take a look inside Liddicoat & Goldhill’s Makers House, the London property that has just earned a spot on the RIBA House of the Year shortlist.
