Wolds Cottage

Creating a contemporary home office in a traditional Cotswold cottage

“Ash’s extremely approachable, full of good ideas and not at all dogmatic or precious about his designs. You get what you ask for, with useful input from him.

Mark and Jane Lanyon Nestled in the sought-after Cotswold village of Chedworth, Wolds Cottage is the kind of authentic Cotswold property people fall in love with. The three-bedroom house, dating from the 1790s, is situated on a quiet lane shaded by mature trees, which slopes down to the neighbouring houses.

Our brief – to create an inspiring home office and a new garage

Wolds Cottage had an existing detached garage with a timber outbuilding, in some disrepair, attached.  Jane, our client, was using this as a makeshift workspace for her successful interior design business. From our first walk-through, it was clear that there was plenty of potential for these buildings to be repurposed as an inspiring workspace, and new garage.

The solution – a stylish, standalone design studio

As a designer, Jane needs ample natural light as she works, as well as a welcoming space to meet clients and discuss projects. So, the new extension needed to maximise the natural resources of light and space, but still feel warm and inviting. 

Our proposal demolished both garage and timber outbuilding, and created a custom-built design studio for Jane, steeped in natural light and overlooking the vista and views across the rolling countryside on their doorstep. Breathtaking full-length glazed French doors and sidelights maximise the natural light and afford panoramic views.

The new studio is accessed on the ground floor via French doors with sidelights, and elegant floating steps on the exterior above the garage lead to Jane’s interior design workshop and fabric store.

A design for living – and working

Jane’s new workspace also has a kitchenette and bathroom, and even a place to relax in the roof space above – a mini-mezzanine. The flexibility and functionality of the design means she can be entirely self-contained when working.

Ashleigh’s design was literally inspired by the gentle, sloping contours of the lane outside Wolds Cottage, so the new rooflines of the studio and garage are subservient to the main property, meaning that they appear to ‘step down’, in keeping with the contour of the lane. 

Viewed from the front, the roof is clad in reconstructed stone tiles which resemble the existing traditional stone, but are a more resilient, and affordable option.

Working alongside our clients

We approach all our projects as creative collaborations from start to finish. At Wolds Cottage, the metal ‘floating steps’ were Jane and Mark’s suggestion, instead of more traditional stone steps.  The couple also selected the copper frames around the safety glass on the steps – for a more contemporary look and feel.

As the design stage took shape, Mark and Jane saw another possible use for the space under the studio eaves, and added a cosy bedroom space, accessible by ladder, for children to stay over.

“It makes going to work a pleasure.”

Almost all major architectural or building projects hit a speedbump or planning challenge, but we can honestly say that Wolds Cottage has been smooth from start to finish – and we’re delighted with the end result. 

When she’s sitting at her desk, Jane now has a panoramic view of the valley and countryside beyond, to inspire her, as well as space to think and create.

When Jane saw the photographs accompanying this case study, she messaged us to say: “I’m really thrilled with my new space. I can’t believe I live there!”

“We used Ash to create, from scratch, a new home office and a larger double garage, with a bonus room above approached via external ‘floating’ steps, all in the Cotswold style. We went from initial sketches to full planning and, ultimately, working drawings for our builders but supervised the project ourselves.”

“Use him! He’s fun to work with, and very nice!”

Mark and Jane Lanyon

Read another case study of a stunning extension to a traditional Cotswold property here.