The Cupola

The works introduce a new sitting room on the ground floor, leading up to a first floor mezzanine with freestanding bath tub, an en-suite bathroom & dressing room linked back to the master bedroom adjacent. The material palette combines a number of earthy, natural textures and tones, with the sculptural form wrapped in hand laid Cotswold dry stone walling at ground level, before transitioning to a delicate ‘cupola’ crowned in Oak at first floor. The project sought to introduce a crafted, highly bespoke addition to the host building, with an exceptional level of detailing and finishes seen throughout. During the initial design stages of the project, it rapidly became clear that in order for the space to work successfully, it would demand a unique response, with the curved stone wall & Oak details contributing at an aesthetic, as well as a functional level. Whilst the physical spaces created are relatively compact floor by floor, the use of the double height void, generous natural light both from within the cupola and rooflights above help to unify the space and create the feeling of an interlinked, inhabited space that breathes life into the existing home. The Oak Mullioned window was painstakingly created to offer a number of glimpsed directional views out over the established gardens beyond, whilst also performing as a structural member, holding the roof up over the delicate steel staircase and stone stone plinth. The use of Oak continues inside the first floor mezzanine, with ribbed partitions in Oak echoing the form of the mullioned window adjacent. Vertical Larch cladding board wrap around the face of the Cupola externally, with bleached engineered Oak Floorboards internally.