Allotment Cottage

The home is conceived as four distinct spaces tied together by a central hearth, resulting in a new flexible space well suited for entertainment or relaxation. Facing the garden – the source of so much home-grown produce – are the dining and kitchen areas. A top-lit pantry off the kitchen provides plenty of storage for food, and, on the kitchen side, space for cookbooks and crockery. With one of the clients a stone mason, it was natural to use stone for the plinth that grounds the extension. Above, oak panelling, steel windows and a continuation of the existing cottage’s lead roof have combined to create a hand-made extension with a satisfying depth of character. The extension’s ground structure is made of reduced carbon concrete to lower the project’s carbon footprint, and, in a conscious effort to reduce the use of steel, the extension has been given a timber frame. Materials, including paving and a stone worktop, have been salvaged from the house pre-stripout and re-used in the new design. The homeowners, couple Kevin and Will, worked with Pensaer to create a space that better connects them with the garden that has become so central to their day-to-day lives. A covered outdoor seating space provides a spot for them to rest, contemplate, and place produce. Beneath the bench, a rainwater harvesting tank is fed from the roofs, and planted alongside is a selection of calming, scented plants.