Situated on a 160-acre working farm in the rolling hills near Charlottesville, Virginia, this new, 6,300 square foot main residence and renovated guest barn are home to a well-traveled couple that have lived on the property for a long time. Inspired by their travels in rural England and the Cotswolds, we designed the house as a series of rambling, connected volumes, creating the character of a stone farm house with barn-like wings added over time. The exterior stonework and concrete tile roof, sourced from England, contribute to the authenticity of the Cotswolds style, while the intentional combination of steel windows and doors suggest contemporary interventions.

Due to its unique positioning between two natural creeks that flow through the property, part of the new construction had to remain within the footprint of the original house. Our design moved the primary suite into the space of the original footprint, distinguished by its natural cedar siding, allowing us to arrange the rest of the program around an interior courtyard that floods the rooms of the house with natural light.

The landscape for the house has been designed by London-based landscape designer Luciano Giubbilei, gently transforming the original site using native Virginia plants and trees.

The house’s great room has steel and glass windows and doors on two sides, opening to the interior courtyard on its eastern side and a large stone terrace overlooking a pond on the west. The majestic Blue Ridge Mountains are visible from many of the rooms and the screened porch, which is directly adjacent to the kitchen, looks out over the pond and the mountains beyond.

The interiors, on which we are collaborating with Michael and Alex Misczynski of Atelier AM, have a more contemporary aesthetic, with a natural palette and organic sensibility that reflects the rustic character of Cotswold barns. Reclaimed beams and floorboards, alongside new oak flooring and ceiling beams, contribute to the narrative that the house was added to over time.

The house’s Cotswold stone veneer and tile roof, both sourced in England, were extensively sampled in mock-ups to achieve the desired color palette for the exterior.

Credits

Landscape Design: Luciano Giubbilei Studio
Interiors Design: Atelier AM
General Contractor: Greer and Associates