When house becomes home: with

WHEN HOUSE BECOMES HOME

In our September-October 2021 edition, we briefly visited one of Modh Design’s recently completed projects. Since then, the client has taken possession of the property and settled into their new home. Now that the client is safely installed, we asked Modh to tell us more about how a new house becomes a home.

Photo credit Steve Thearle

“It is always exciting for the keys to be handed over to a client and to see how the house you have spent considerable time imagining, finally becomes a home. It’s at this point, where we as designers relinquish all control and watch from the side lines for the first time, as the client starts to animate and live in their home, beginning the process of really making it theirs. “Whilst some clients require full interior packages, others have very strong ideas on how the interior spaces are going to manifest and, whilst we may share their vision, they carry it forward on their own and occupy the spaces as they have planned from the very beginning. “Over the years, the Howgate clients have acquired many possessions,

Photo credit Holly Jolliffe

some of which have been handed down through the generations. One example is the light fitting outside the scullery, where a drum light from the 1930s originally hung in Lucinda’s father’s nursery. These personal quirks cannot help but raise a smile when you hear the story behind them. Many objects the pair own have been brought from places they have lived and visited around the world, from US thrift shops to estate sales and everything in between. This eclectic mix of objects and styles, each with a story and evocative of a shared memory, has been an integral part, from the very beginning, of our clients’ original brief, which focused on “1930s strippeddown classicism, with a touch of Oscar Niemeyer”. “However, the architecture that we have spent time cultivating together, was never meant to become a static museum for their collections; their objective was to create a home. I think the house has delivered on its promise and there are ample opportunities for the pair to adapt the interior architecture to suit their individual interior design requirements. Mostly this can be put down to a floor plan that deviates from what is leaning towards the new norm of completely open plan spaces. “What has been created instead is a series of spaces that, along with furnishings, allow for distinct zones with privacy and separation whilst not being cut off completely, maintaining a clear flow throughout the home. “As designers, this client has been such fun to work with. They brought their own ideas to the table and challenged us to deviate from the tried and tested methods of design, broadening our approach to experiment with new ideas and sometimes embrace the unconventional. That being said, with all the eccentricities and plays on convention, there is something deeply effortless and easy about the spaces and how the couple have chosen to live in them. “Having the ability to juxtapose the precision and balance of the architecture, with the freedom and individuality of interior preferences with objects they own, has created an extremely unique and wonderful home. This project really is a reflection of the

Photo credit Holly Jolliffe

Photo credit Steve Thearle

saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. On approach to Howgate, one would assume the inside furnishing is minimal and contemporary, much like the exterior, but when inside, the mix of new and old with modern and classic blends seamlessly. It’s a true of example of showing that there really are no rules when it comes to new build homes and styling, it’s down to the intention behind the design and why we choose the items we do.”

Run by husband-and-wife team Colman and Emma Cotter, Modh Design is an award-winning RIBA Chartered Architectural service based in Calbourne. Offering services from collaborative creative concept through to full project management delivery, Modh are passionate about creating inspiring spaces for every client. Modhdesign.co.uk Instagram: @modhdesign