• SOMERSET BARN
By adding a brand new extension to an 18th-century barn, Claire Featherstone has created a stylish rural sanctuary for modern family life
A modern extension sympathetic to the building’s traditional style has made this 18th-century barn work for 21st-century living
Claire Featherstone was brought up in the Somerset countryside and always had a yearning to go back one day – if she could find a way to make the move work around a busy career and a love of modern design. ‘I wanted my son, Dexter, to have space to run around and we wanted somewhere to spend our leisure time that was completely different from our life in London,’ says Claire. ‘There we have a terraced Georgian house in an urban area of East London, surrounded by concrete, and here there are horses in the fields beyond and a tiny village nearby, which is bliss.’
Claire and her husband Julius started looking for a property nearly four years ago, when Dexter was three, and found a barn ripe for renovation. ‘I knew the area so that made a big difference,’ Claire says. ‘The barn stood out straight away, with a third of an acre and a large outbuilding – it had tremendous potential. The building itself had been used to store flax, which is why the ceilings are nice and high, and it dates from 1730, although someone had done a dreadful conversion job in the Seventies.’
The barn had all the things Claire and Julius hated – white UPVC windows, a lack of original features and a useless conservatory stuck on the side – but they knew they could make it work. ‘My sister, Sarah Featherstone of >
❝ WE WANTED SOMEWHERE TO SPEND OUR LEISURE TIME THAT WAS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TO LONDON ❞
Featherstone Young, is a talented architect so we had her on our side and she understood what we wanted to create,’ Claire says. A large double-height extension to house a new kitchen-diner was on the list, with a corridor linking the new structure to the old barn, plus a reconfiguration of the original stone building.
‘We demolished the conservatory and made it into a lovely patio, and then opened up the ceiling of the main bedroom so the beams were on show. We’ve stuck with three bedrooms as we don’t really need more, but turned the downstairs cloakroom into a large shower room.’
The couple had to be patient as planning for the extension took six months, and the work itself took a year to complete. ‘I wanted to use local tradespeople and put something back into the local community. I still have school friends round here, so asked them all for recommendations before getting four quotes and choosing from there. It paid off – the builders we picked, Building Craftsmen Yeovil, were really good.’
Claire’s sister Sarah was the hands-on project manager, but she and Claire both took it in turns to visit the site and check everything on the build was going to plan. ‘I think it’s good to have an architect involved in the day-to-day stuff as well as the major design because they know exactly what is and what isn’t possible. I think builders can sometimes go for the easy option, and as a >
homeowner, if you don’t know the hard facts, it’s sometimes tough to get your ideas for the build across.’
An early delay with the big picture windows for the new extension caused a knock-on effect for the build. ‘We had hoped we’d be in by Christmas 2017, but it took a bit longer than planned. Other than that, it went smoothly.’
When it came to the design, Claire and Julius had very definite ideas. ‘We like clean lines and a modern look, but we are also keen on colour. I was conscious that we were renovating an old barn so I couldn’t go minimal; it still had to be warm and the two sides needed to match up.’
A blue gloss Ikea kitchen was the starting point and Claire matched the colour and painted the walls in a similar shade. ‘I also took it through to the living room, which is in the old part of the house, and we used plenty of mid-century wooden furniture and injected splashes of colour with blankets, cushions and original artwork.’
Work on the house is finished for now, although there are plans for future renovations. ‘We’d like to make Dexter’s room our en suite, and then go up into the other side of the roof and create a large bedroom for him there. And we still need to get rid of the horrid UPVC windows in the old barn when the budget allows, and convert the outbuilding.’
In time, the couple hope to escape London for a quieter life. ‘It’s so peaceful and relaxing. At some point we’d like to change the balance and make it our main home.’
Rent The Barn, Shepton Mallet at sawdays.co.uk
❝ I WANTED TO USE LOCAL TRADESPEOPLE AND PUT SOMETHING BACK INTO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY ❞