Architecture Wednesday: Tan y Coed

Wisteria trails elegantly over this Welsh stone longhouse, built in 1800,  located in a serene valley in Oswestry, Tan y Coed [‘under the trees’] and surrounded by the bucolic Candy Woods. It was carefully renovated to create a series of bright, open spaces. Outside is a separate one-bedroom guest house as well as a studio space, and a geodesic dome greenhouse.

Tan y Coed is a brilliant example of a Welsh longhouse; traditionally designed to house livestock—either cows or sheep—on the ground floor with living accommodations on the first, these houses are found across Wales and the rest of the country.

Beyond the front gate, a spacious driveway approaches the house where a path leads to the two main points of access: the formal entrance which sits underneath a porch, and a more frequently used side entrance, which leads directly into an open-plan kitchen, dining area, and living area.

The kitchen is composed of white cabinets and wood countertops and white-brick tiled backsplash set against original wooden floors. Beyond the kitchen is the oak, garden room extension, bathed in light throughout the day through the stretches of glazing on three sides and warmed by the underfloor heating beneath the slate floor.

A more formal dining room lies beyond in the original part of the house with parquet floors and a wood-burning stove; from there you enter an expansive sitting room, which also has wooden floors and an original inglenook—a small nook or alcove adjoining a fireplace—that is now home to a wood-burning stove; original exposed beams run the length of the ceiling overhead.

A set of contemporary open-tread stairs leads upstairs to the sleeping quarters; the principal bedroom has a bright en suite bathroom with a shower and access to a generous balcony while three further bedrooms are positioned on this floor, served by a shared bathroom. 

Behind the house, a barn has been converted into a one-bedroom guesthouse, constructed from the same Welsh stone as the house, equipped with a downstairs kitchen downstairs and a raised living space on the first floor. To the other side of the house, near the driveway, is a large new block that houses two open carports, a garage underneath and an open-plan room above, currently used as a gym.

And the gardens that surround the house are planted with thousands of daffodils, wild garlic and raised vegetable beds; a stream meanders from the end of the garden lawn towards the house, which fronts onto a pond where a new terrace raised on stilts sits above the water.

It all seems idyllic and peaceful and worth the £1.1M price tag considering it’s already been sold.

The Spaces

Architecture Wednesday: San Francisco Oasis

I love San Francisco; I have lived in San Francisco. And if I had the coins I’d be living in this house in San Francisco; in this most remarkable modern oasis that is unlike any home. Located South of Market, and sited behind unassuming concrete walls and doors of steel is a most tranquil retreat.

When you walk through the doors you enter into your own never-before-seen private park, a haven of mature trees and lush botanicals. On the left is a set of oversized casement windows, with French doors that open to a dramatic foyer. Inside, soaring wooden ceilings unite adjacent rooms and skylights while three sets of large glass walls visually extend the living space to the verdant outdoors while floors of warm, polished concrete suggest the casual sophistication of urban living.

At centerstage lies the living room—accented by a large skylight and a fireplace. At one of the sets of glass casement windows, the dining area becomes al fresco with the opening of French doors. A bright, modern kitchen, with substantial countertops and storage, fuels entertaining lies just behind the living area. A large library or home office or secondary living area is sunlit by a skylight and a third set of large casement windows. At the front of the home sliding doors of frosted glass open to the ensuite bedroom with a fireplace & spa-like bathroom with dual vanities and a glass-enclosed shower. Plus, there is tandem off-street parking for three cars in an oasis in the midst of one of the greatest cities on Earth and at just $4.6M.

Now where did I put my checkbook?

As always click to emBIGGERate …

Dwell