NEAR TO nature

A 1940s worker's cottage becomes a sculptural sanctuary for two professional artists

-  KARSHA GREEN

two professional artists have owned this little worker’s cottage for more than 25 years. The original house was built in 1947 but the building was run down, riddled with asbestos, with a leaky roof and dodgy electrics. The cottage required major reconstruction but the homeowners also wanted to preserve its spirit and memory.

The brief for the Beaconsfield worker’s cottage was to maintain its simplicity and directness while adding much more space for the middle-aged homeowners and adult children. Additional spaces included a new kitchen, flexible living area and a studio, gallery or workshop for the practising artists. A shared vision between architect and homeowner was for the creation of a “severe, cave-like and direct interior correlating to a luscious garden outside”.