HEART OF OAK

Beautiful craftsmanship, natural materials and a distinctive palette bring character to a light-filled contemporary manor house in Herefordshire

Fine craftsmanship and natural materials add character to a modern Herefordshire home

Very few people can claim to have lived in both the oldest and the newest house in their village, but Merry Albright has that rare distinction. Just 250 yards from each other as the crow flies, more than 600 years separate the 14th-century cottage where she was born and the spacious contemporary property that is now her home in Eardisland, in Herefordshire’s beautiful Arrow Valley. Though centuries apart and on a different scale, they share a key feature – both have an oak frame at their core. Merry inherited a passion for this kind of traditional structure from her father, John Greene, who pioneered the revival of green-oak building in the 1970s.

After university in Bristol and a stint working in London – which ‘confirmed that city life wasn’t for me’ – Merry returned to the countryside, settling down with husband Ben, who also grew up in the area. They both work alongside her father at Border Oak, the company he founded, and enjoyed the perk of living nearby in a handsome cottage they helped to design.

But after the arrival of their second child Gabriel (the couple also have a daughter, Minerva), they realised they needed more space – and so, in 2010, Merry began to look for a bigger plot. It would take four years of diligent research, but her persistence paid off when a local farmer agreed to sell them a six-acre field on the edge of Eardisland, surrounded by meadows and orchards. ‘It was worth holding out for,’ she says.

Gaining permission to build on it then took a further two years, so it was a huge relief when their design for ‘a contemporary barn-style house’ met with planning approval. Arranged in a horseshoe shape, with a west-facing central courtyard, Meadowmead’s configuration is reminiscent of old barns clustered around a farmyard. Thoughtful referencing of vernacular architecture and use of local materials – oak cladding and lime-mortar brickwork – has forged a visual

link with the village, while its generous expanses of glass fill the property with light. The result is a stunning modern interpretation of a manor house.

In the vast open-plan kitchen, with its run of floor-toceiling windows facing the courtyard, the magnificent solid oak frame of the building is complemented by off-white walls, reflective pale composite work surfaces and limestone tiles on the floor. Passionate about craftsmanship, Merry sought out quality fixtures and fittings from local artisans and traditional British companies to suit the handmade integrity of the house. She is particularly delighted by a collaboration with talented joiner Louis Ferneyhough, of Fernio Furniture, near Monmouth, who designed and crafted all the cabinetry in the kitchen, pantry and utility room. Following Merry’s brief to ‘keep it plain’, the kitchen units have an elegant Georgian simplicity that is echoed by a substantial central island topped with Herefordian oak. A graphite electric Everhot range cooker provides a strong focal point, while quirky character is supplied by vintage accessories, such as a weathered metal wall clock. Two striking industrial lampshades from Baileys bring a touch of utility chic to the dining area, where they hang above a chunky wooden country table and chairs – secondhand finds that were sandblasted to give them raw rustic appeal. The beautifully simple shapes and colours of her handmade Brickett Davda tableware give Merry pleasure on a daily basis. ‘I like the way each piece is slightly different; that they aren’t quite perfect,’ she says. ‘We didn’t want the formality that often goes with a house of this size – it just isn’t our style,’ she adds. ‘We’ve tried to create a more relaxed feel.’

The sitting room – in the middle section that links the two ‘wings’ – is furnished invitingly in earthy shades. Sofas upholstered in mole velvet and grey linen pick up on the subtle natural hues in a custom-made rug of soft plaited jute, while the opulent ‘two-tone peacock blue’ velvet armchair, from a local auction, adds a flash of colour. Despite its high, vaulted ceiling, this room is always cosy, even on the coldest days, thanks to a woodburning stove and underfloor heating beneath the wide oak boards. This features in every room and, together with excellent insulation, keeps the building energy efficient. Sustainability is important to Merry and

Ben: the grey wool carpeting upstairs is made from natural undyed fleece backed with hessian, and most of their paint

‘We didn’t want the formality that often goes with a house of this size – it just isn’t our style’

is ecofriendly – sourced from Edward Bulmer, who happens to be based nearby. His warm off-white, Whiting, provides a calm backdrop in many rooms, while deeper hues, such as Flaxen Grey, bring a period feel to the pantry and utility.

Colour has been used cleverly throughout the whole house, with pale shades enhancing the sense of space in some of the rooms, and darker palettes bringing a cosy intimacy in others. Mylands’ inky Oratory, for instance, adds dramatic impact to the inner landing that leads to the high-ceilinged main bedroom. Here, furnishings inspired by the rich tones of a dark-green velvet headboard make a stylish statement and anchor the neutral scheme. Similarly, in its pale ensuite bathroom, a blackened-steel washstand, made to Merry’s design, provides a striking focal point, with its characterful countertop of pippy oak holding a simple modern basin and an array of vintage mirrors, picked up in the antiques shops of Ludlow, Ledbury and Hay-on-Wye.

In the four years they have been at Meadowmead, the family has enjoyed finding new ways to navigate the space. The sizeable studio, in the wing across the courtyard from the kitchen, has turned out to be brilliant for parties, cinema nights and Merry’s creative workshops. ‘This is a special house in a wonderful spot,’ she enthuses. ‘We have more than enough space to enjoy. I can’t imagine ever wanting to leave.’

For information, visit borderoak.com, and for workshops, email merry.albright@borderoak.com

SITTING ROOM A relaxed mix of furnishings, including a velvet armchair from a local auction, creates an inviting feel, while the muted neutrals used throughout pick up on the natural hues of the jute rug from Alternative Flooring. Designed by Border Oak, the fireplace houses a Clearview stove EXTERIOR In an idyllic setting surrounded by fields and orchards, new-build Meadowmead sits in a six-acre plot on the edge of the Herefordshire village of Eardisland. A veranda runs along one gable end of the house, where Border Oak bricks provide texture and detail

KITCHEN The unfussy kitchen cupboards and island topped with Herefordian oak have an elegant simplicity and were handcrafted by Louis Ferneyhough of Fernio Furniture. Limestone floor tiles continue the pale colour scheme. Two industrial-style lamps from Baileys hang over the dining table and echo the line of four tiny copper pendants above the island, which were created from salvaged maritime scoops found in a Norfolk reclamation yard. The large dining table and chairs were secondhand finds that Merry had sandblasted PANTRY Inspired by National Trust properties, the pantry has a period feel and was also made by Louis Ferneyhough UTILITY ROOM Shaker-style cupboards, painted in Flaxen Grey by Edward Bulmer to match the walls, conceal the washing machine and dishwasher. The sink, in pigmented concrete, is by Warrington & Rose, while vintage accessories add rustic character

MAIN BEDROOM Bringing impact in the spacious room, the dark tones of a deep-green velvet headboard are echoed in an old painted tack box, used as a bedside table, and a 1970s Heal’s leather chair found on Ebay. An embroidered Indian throw provides a tonal decorative element DETAIL An informal arrangement of hydrangeas picks up on the zesty background of a framed set of zinc alphabet stencils on a side table in the corridor BATHROOM Walls in Whiting by Edward Bulmer blend with limestone floor tiles, while the industrial-style steel frame, made to Merry’s design, supports a pippy oak countertop, which holds a modern basin and vintage mirrors

GABRIEL’S ROOM Farrow & Ball’s Down Pipe is a dramatic backdrop for an iron-framed bed

CLOAKROOM A vintage basin from English Salvage stands out against walls in Oratory by Mylands

ENTRANCE HALL A Victorian tailor’s dummy in the lobby came from a wool shop that Merry’s mother owned. The front door is painted in a bespoke Border Oak smoky grey-green shade