This purist country house reinterprets the cottage style

Most people associate the traditional cottage style with the idyllic countryside of rural England. A striking new building in the Hampshire region shows this historically influenced architecture from a completely new side. The so-called "Friends House" sets remarkable contrasts in the green landscape with a black wooden facade.

Modern cottage house combines nature and traditional building forms

The Spanish architectural firm AMPS Arquitectura & Diseño was commissioned to design a modern residential building adjacent to an existing farm in the village of Bentworth. Using traditional forms and building materials, the design refers to the local architecture of the widespread cottage houses.

The architects used prefabricated cross-laminated timber elements for the construction of the double-skin façade. However, the most striking feature of the new building is the dark façade, which, like the gable roof, is clad with black coloured Accoya wood. This type of wood has undergone a refinement process and convinces with its durability and sustainability.

With floor-to-ceiling windows and large glass surfaces, the house opens up to the surrounding landscape. To the south, a building section emerges from the otherwise straight, elongated structure. Two bedrooms have been created at the outer ends. Between them are children's rooms, which create a small world of adventure with playful sleeping platforms and adventure landscapes.

Inviting living landscape behind the black facade

In contrast to the dark outer shell, the interiors are bright and friendly. Warm chestnut wood, sand-lime brick and a Mortex floor made of mineral coating with an exposed concrete look form the natural framework for the inviting living environment. Matching the reduced interior, the timeless Gira E2 switch series in the colour variant pure white glossy unobtrusively blends in with the design.

Modern country life with energy-efficient smart home technology

In addition to stylish and functional furnishings, the planners also attached great importance to the technical equipment in the cottage house, which is designed for maximum energy efficiency.

The intelligent building technology is networked via the Gira HomeServer, via which all commands from the connected devices converge. This interface makes it possible to link various technical components such as lighting and heating control.

The occupants can keep an eye on all functions and consumption values via the Gira G1 control centre. With just a few fingertips on the sensitive touch panel on the wall, they can make individual settings for all connected devices and components and regulate the functions.

More inspiration on the Gira website

The black cottage house in the English hills is a prime example of how traditional building forms, timeless design and energy-efficient technology can be turned into something completely new.

You can also find more examples of how to enhance living comfort, safety and efficiency in your home on the Gira References page.