DOMA ARCHITECTS

WAY

As Harrogate-based Doma Architects find themselves an inspiration to others, we chat all things design, progression and creating homes from dreams

By BETHAN ANDREWS

the LEADING

Over the last few years, Yorkshire has really been making a name for itself in the world of architecture and design, particularly in the domestic market. Gone are the days that people only think about standard barn conversions or simple extensions in the county, and instead, Yorkshire is becoming something of a shining star in architecture, with award-winning design companies, incredible projects making the headlines and all sorts of exciting developments taking place. One design business that is leading the way with this is Harrogate-based architects Doma Architects, founded by Ruth Donnelly.

As I sit and chat with Ruth, it sounds as though a fascination for design has been inbuilt in her from a young age. In fact, she laughs as she tells me that it actually all started from playing with Lego when she was a child. “This was back in the day when Lego was literally bricks and you had to be quite inventive with it,” she smiles. “I’ve always loved tech, science and design.”

Ruth tells me how she went on to train in both Newcastle and Edinburgh, before settling back in Yorkshire. When the recession hit, she and her husband decided to move to Sydney and escape the UK where they both worked as architects and built up a lot of experience. In 2010 when they returned, instead of working for someone else, they decided to give it a go working for themselves.

“There’s something that really draws you back to Yorkshire. We formed Doma Architects in 2010 and haven’t looked back, really,” smiles Ruth. “We started it because one of our friends had worked with architects in the past and they found the whole process quite confusing, frustrating and found that people didn’t really listen, so we wanted to change that. For me, a great project is reliant on a great partnership between an architect and a client – we design for people. It’s all about listening, particularly on domestic projects, because you have to understand them, their homes and how they live. At the end of the project, if I’ve got a happy client, that’s all that matters.”

The ethos of the practice has always been about helping people to understand and see the true potential of their homes, and to then help them with the process. Ruth has always wanted to speak client language, something that she doesn’t necessarily feel has always happened in the architecture sphere. Instead, it’s about stripping everything back and not seeming inaccessible. Clearly, Ruth has been doing something right for the last 12 years, despite being incredibly modest about her successes. But if one thing works to showcase quite how highly regarded Doma Architects has become in the design and architecture world both in Yorkshire, but also nationwide, it’s their inclusion in recent co ee table book, 21st Century Houses: RIBA Award Winning Homes by Dominic Bradbury and published by RIBA.

It is described by the author as a book whereby “the winning houses, featured here, showcase truly innovative design, contemporary materials and

RUTH DONNELLY

techniques, and inspired responses to historical and urban settings, as well as areas of natural beauty.” I wonder what it means to Ruth to be included within the book, but also to be thought of as an inspiration to so many others. “Oh gosh, I couldn’t quite believe it when the book arrived and I was incredibly honoured to be featured as it says in the book ‘some of the best awardwinning homes over the last ten years’,” she smiles. “It’s quite incredible, to be honest. To be amongst so many other well-regarded architects is a huge honour. It was actually one of my first projects with Doma Architects that was featured!”

So, what’s Doma Architects got going on at the moment? “I returned from maternity leave with number three in February, so all the projects we’ve got on are at quite early stages, so it’s really exciting,” says Ruth. “We’ve got planning through for quite a complicated site in York in a conservation area, which works with the existing, but has a contemporary twist.” When it comes to new trends, Ruth tells me how sustainability is clearly on the agenda, particularly with the energy crisis. “There will be a lot of sustainable materials coming through,” says Ruth. “People are really actively asking for it now, as well as the use of local materials, instead of importing from overseas.”

Ruth is clearly excited by the aforementioned progress in the design world in Yorkshire, and loves how up and coming it is, as well as how diverse it has become. With the Yorkshire landscape so varied, she tells me how much variety there can be in design in the county and people don’t need to stick to one formula. In fact, contemporary design can really complement the traditional and rural surroundings, instead of oppose it. “The surroundings of Yorkshire are inspiring, of course. I’ve got a project in Boston Spa at the moment that responds to the industrial heritage of agricultural buildings and we use the gable form quite a lot in projects,” says Ruth. “Yorkshire is so diverse in its landscape, history and building. There’s been a bit of a shift here, and people are becoming more interested in design and it’s becoming more of a talking point.”

“Yorkshire is so diverse in its landscape, history and building”