From brownfield barn to beautiful bespoke home – with

FROM BROWNFIELD BARN TO BEAUTIFUL BESPOKE HOME

With Modh Design

When clients Sarah and Keith decided to build their own home, they enlisted the expertise of Modh Design to help realise their vision. Modh took their Class Q barn conversion from inception to completion, turning a dilapidated, agricultural barn into their dream home.

Husband and wife team, Colman and Emma Cotter of Modh Design took on the project and, just before Christmas 2020, Keith and

Sarah received the keys from Isle of

Wight building contractors, J R Buckett and Sons and moved into their new bespoke home.

Keith and Sarah both enjoyed creative careers before retirement, and it was easy for Modh to envisage the direction the design was going to take as they worked closely with the clients, and their brief, to develop the project from start to finish.

Modh Design was set up in 2015 after

Colman and Emma relocated to the

Island from Kent in 2009. Since then, the practice has grown to a team of 5 and operates from their office in

Calbourne. With a diverse portfolio of award-winning projects under their belt,

Colman, Emma, and the team have worked with an array of interesting private clients, including some celebrities and the Lord-Lieutenant of the Island. As well as working alongside local contractors to build many oneoff homes, Modh Design have done several commercial projects including Tapnell Farm Park, The Bandstand and Spinlock. With Keith and Sarah’s big build, the challenge was to design a home within the constraints of the existing barn’s profile. Class Q planning guidance does not permit an increase in size or deviation from the original form, so the existing asymmetric shape and the agricultural setting were the principal driving force behind developing the project. Emma began to carve out spaces within the existing volume, pushing a few walls inward to generate some interesting outside spaces. She utilised the barn’s positioning within the site to maximise light, solar gain and natural ventilation, whilst introducing

a double height interior space that celebrates the interesting shapes and structures. A large sky light was positioned above the open tread, ply stairs and the wash of natural light picks up the gravelly texture of the central spine wall from which the spaces flow around. With a nod to the agricultural setting, Modh specified exterior materials of steel, timber cladding and rendered concrete blockwork. Colman developed the many bespoke construction details for Building Regulations and Tender, as well as overseeing the project on-site during construction. With the repurposing of an existing barn on a brown field site, a conscious commitment to green renewables was made. Technology such as air source heat pump, solar photovoltaics, and sustainably resourced materials were all implemented into the design. The kitchen garden area to the rear of the site shows the working backdrop to a house that demonstrates that sustainably conscious, brown field developments do not have to be ugly, a compromise or half measures and can elevate a design towards a more sustainable conscious future, whilst still being beautiful, grounded in design and creativity.

Fantastically functional in bold geometric blues – perfect for work-hard/play-hard kitchen floors

Forever floors

With Abbott’s Flooring

Choosing a classic black and white aesthetic will stand the test of time

The team at Abbott’s Flooring in Sandown are excited to share their new range of Harvey Maria flooring: a vibrant collection of classic and contemporary-inspired tiles designed to stand up to modern home life.

Particularly popular in busy areas around the home, Harvey Maria floors are durable, long lasting and made with materials that have achieved the highest possible sustainability ratings, with a lifetime environmental impact much lower than industry alternatives. Contrast with green foliage (from houseplants to homegrown herbs) and rustic textures (from natural worktops to wooden shelving and zero-waste accessories) for a stripped back style that feels calming and clean. In sunrooms and hallways, boot rooms and pantries – Harvey Maria offers a beautifully curated range of striking geometric patterns and pigments for a refreshingly bold yet blended style.

Capture the essence of hand-painted Moroccan tiles with colour-rich ceramic blue