Folly Farm was originally a 17th century cottage transformed between 1906 and 1912 into an iconic Arts and Crafts era home and landscape by the additions of architect Sir Edwin Lutyens and garden designer Gertrude Jekyll. The garden was divided into a series of inward-looking ‘rooms’ separated by yew hedges, including a sunken pool garden, a flower parterre, entrance courtyard, barn courtyard and a Dutch canal. As part of an extensive restoration of house and gardens, we were asked to rethink the gardens and surrounding landscape, and develop a site-wide masterplan that would bring the outdoor environment into the 21st century. A new wind garden of ornamental grasses connects the historic gardens to the surrounding landscape, while the walled kitchen garden, previously unemployed, is now a fertile acre of food and flower-producing beds, borders and pergolas. A new entrance driveway brings guests past ancient oaks and a new wildlife lake set in newly instated wildflower meadows. The refurbished watercourse leads to a new sculpture lawn with access from the house provided by new ziggurat steps inspired by the Lutyens originals, all with the aim of integrating the gardens and grounds and establishing an authentically rural sense of place.
Once again I am floored with how absolutely stunning the gardens are of this home, created by Dan Pearson Studio. Seemingly effortless, wild and whimsical, yet so thoughtful and decisive. This is landscape design at its finest. Photos: Jason Ingram.

Here, the choice was made to open up all the windows to maximise the amount of light but also the number of views to the outside world. The kitchen is completely open to the living room and stands out for its colour, but is discreet in that it hides all its cupboards, offering a kind of extension to the living room, reinforced by the presence of a large mirror above the worktop, which plays with the volumes and has fun blocking the view with a play of reflections. The bedroom has been designed as a glazed hut set into the flat. Made entirely of rough-hewn planks, it provides just enough space for a double bed, a dressing area and a discreet passageway to the bathroom, which is dressed in pink and marble. Playing with perspectives and offering unobstructed views, while at the same time highlighting the uniqueness and specificity of each room, makes the small square metre definitely more lively and livable.
Marianne Evennou does it best, taking a tiny 35m2 apartment in Paris’ 1st arrondissement, and making it seem much larger. Bright, colourful and full of style. Photos: Grégory Timsit.

The original farmhouse from the previous post ended up undergoing a major renovation after Dan Pearson Studio introduced the homeowners to 6a architects.
Stripped back to bare its thick stone walls, with externally insulated slate-clad facades, this early-twentieth century house has seen a complete reconfiguration of its internal volumes and a transformation of the visual and physical connections with the surrounding coastal landscape. Previously raised on a plinth above a basement, the ground floor has been lowered to the level of the surrounding ground, elongating the existing openings. With three floors spread over the north end of the house connecting to two floors to the south, each space has a distinct volume & ceiling height, with the central stair giving clear views through the whole house across three axes. A series of air-dried oak beams make up the exposed primary structure spanning between the existing stone, and larger structural interventions within this masonry are made in in-situ concrete, cast against timber formwork echoing the timber panelling throughout the house. 
The resulting home is so spacious and quite beautiful, though I am saddened that most of the stone walls were painted. It does lighten the spaces but you loose all the wonderful texture.

This extraordinary property on Devon’s south coast is set within 130 hectares of arable farmland and open, rolling fields that fall gently away to the sea. Our task was to rethink the use of land around the house to marry the requirements of a working farm with the desire for a series of modulated garden spaces for beauty, production, leisure and play, as well as providing better access to the living quarters. The grassland surrounding the property was extensively remodelled, with new wildflower meadows and woodland roundels established. We kept our touch light, drawing on the local vernacular, restoring and replacing dry-stone walls, encouraging wildlife through the introduction of a new ornamental pond.
This project is going straight into my inspiration folder. I have never had much outdoor square footage to work with having lived in the city all of my adult life but my next home may end up being out in the country with acres of land (I hope) and I know landscaping with that much property to deal with would be daunting. This space had everything I could dream of – a pond, a greenhouse, old stone walls, a pool….EVERYTHING. Landscaping by Dan Pearson Studio. Photos: Ngọc Minh Ngo.

Lived in by the same family for nearly four hundred years, the house now offers 21st Century standards of comfort, combining elegant modern décor with old world charm. The house has recently been re-designed by Jeffrey Bilhuber. A magical place surrounded by 62 acres of gardens & grounds.
The best part about this incredible home that looks like it’s straight out of a period drama, is the current family is offering it for stays (9 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms!) – see more here for details.