The dream was to have a home that provided real architectural excitement every day,’ says Guy Johnson, who collaborated with his wife Georgie, as well as Adie Perkins Architects, George Townsin of Studio George and James Brindley Construction, to build a unique family home in Suffolk. ‘We wanted it to have a few dramatic architectural features, and I was obsessive about protecting those, even when the budget constraints made that quite difficult,’ Guy adds.
Walking through the front door brings you face to face with one such feature: the grand S-shaped, two-storey staircase sculpted from microcement. ‘I get a real tingle of excitement every time I walk up and down the stairs,’ Guy says.
Another sensational moment can be found in the main bedroom. ‘I was fixated on having a glass-to-glass corner window with no structural or visual impediments,’ he says, and compares looking out of the window to viewing the landscape on a cinema screen. ‘You stand in that corner and it’s almost as if you’re outside.’
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From the building’s orientation to the colour palette, every decision was made with its storybook setting in mind. ‘The house is built in a soft, pink-toned brick, chosen to give warmth and character, and tumbled to avoid the sharpness that can sometimes come with contemporary builds,’ explains architect Adie Perkins. ‘The plan ensures the main living spaces take full advantage of their rural setting by carefully aligning on the north-south and east-west axes to create these long sightlines throughout the house.’
‘There’s a total of 46 windows, which involved buying a lot of curtains,’ adds Guy with a chuckle. ‘We chose black internal window sashes because we wanted them to look like picture frames.’ The well-lit, window-lined hallways are reminiscent of an art gallery, with the works being the ever-changing views of the landscape.
With ample opportunities to look outside, interior designer George Townsin brought the surroundings in through her use of colour and texture. She encouraged the Johnsons to take photos of the landscape in each season, which became the inspiration for the overall scheme.
Working with George’s eye for hues, the couple embraced vibrancy. The kitchen is a rusty orange – ‘Caravan’ from Paint & Paper Library – while door frames and accent walls are bathed in Farrow & Ball’s blue-green ‘Dix Blue’. Smaller spaces provide jewellery-box moments. The guest bedroom, for example, is colour-drenched in apple green and the snug is floor-to-ceiling red.
George also piled on textiles, with Christopher Farr Cloth serving as a favourite throughout. To ensure the overall effect was cheerful and not unruly, she echoed palettes and patterns across the rooms. The chequered tile in the laundry room echoes the wallpaper in the downstairs cloakroom – one of the couple’s first selections for their home. The result is a layered, cosy space that feels decidedly of its place.
With an outdoor shower and several dedicated spaces for entertaining in the elements, one might think the setting favours summer, but winter is actually when the house really comes to life. Built to Passivhaus standards – complete with an MVHR (mechanical ventilation and heat recovery) system – this home meets the highest benchmark in thermal performance, Guy notes. ‘My sweater drawers remain closed for most of the winter because it’s basically 21 degrees Celsius the whole time,’ he says. ‘Building to that standard is hard enough, but doing it with an interesting architectural design was harder still.’
‘It is a house for all seasons,’ adds George. ‘With all of the little nooks, you can draw the curtains, light the fire and the overall effect is just incredibly cosy. They built this house with Christmas time in mind.’ studiogeorgelondon.com; adieperkins.com
