Real grand design with views of the Pennines
Plumpton Lodge, Thurlstone Price: £825,000 www.simonblyth.co.uk
Minimalism may sound like an easy ride when it comes to architecture and interiors, but it is incredibly difficult to get right.
When done properly, the effect of its quiet, subtle beauty is immense. It creates a calmness and serenity that is increasingly hard to find in our fraught and frantic world.
Anyone looking for the perfect minimalist home will find it at Plumpton Lodge in the soughtafter village of Thurlstone.
Alison Cutts and Phillip Buckley created it after buying a detached 1990s house three years ago. They reduced it to three external walls before building it back into the home they really wanted.
“We bought it because of the secluded position of the plot and because it is next to countryside and close to good road links. It is a few minutes drive to the M1 and within an hour’s drive of Manchester and Leeds airports,” says artist and designer Alison, who designed the building and interiors herself.
“One of my main aims was to optimise light and solar gain and to make the most of the outlook as the house is on the edge of the Pennines and has spectacular views and great walks on the Trans Pennine trail from the doorstep.”
The addition of a roof light and a balcony to the main bedroom were among her most inspired ideas as the long-range rural views from this vantage point are spectacular.
Storage, the key to maintaining minimalism, is plentiful everywhere while the flooring is Spanish porcelain.
“Everything is behind doors to the point where visitors sometimes say, ‘do you actually live here’. I take that as a great compliment,” says Alison, who points out that the house could equally be seen as a blank canvas for those who prefer more maximalist interiors.
The property has an open plan living, dining, kitchen space,a large home office, a utility room, four impressive bedrooms, a dressing room, two ensuites and a large bathroom.
Automatic gates lead to a garden, a driveway, double car barn with workshop and a large workshop/store.
Alison and Phillip are selling as they are building a second home in Croatia, where they intend to spend six months of the year.
“We planned to keep this as our UK home but it would be a shame for it to be empty for half of the year so we are planning to downsize to something we can lock up and leave,” says Alison.