Category Archives: Homes

English Country Estates: Glynn House, Cornwall

Much of the building as it stands today was completed in 1805 by Edmund Glynn, son of American Independence supporter John Glynn, but its history is much older.

Penny Churchill June 9, 2021

The manor was mentioned in the Domesday Book and was later home to distinguished personages such as Henry II’s Justiciar, Richard de Lucy, and perhaps most extraordinary of all the Earl of Warwick, ‘the Kingmaker’.

In the 18th century, the estate belonged to Waterloo hero Sir Hussey Vivian and, in the 1960s, to Nobel-prize winning chemist Peter Mitchell.

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English Country Homes: Sortridge Manor In Dartmoor National Park

Over in West Devon, the village of Horrabridge in the Dartmoor National Park, four miles south of Tavistock, grew up around an ancient crossing over the fast-flowing River Walkham, a famous salmon river, its 15th-century bridge one of the oldest in Devon.

In the late 1800s/early 1900s, the south wing of the original Elizabethan building was rebuilt after ‘three successive fires’ destroyed ‘the hall and one wing’.

In the late 1800s, three sisters sold the 400-acre Sortridge estate to a Plymouth stockbroker who immediately sold it again in lots, thereby doubling his money.

The manor and 140 acres of land were bought by Col Marwood Tucker, whose widow sold the property to George Porter Rogers in 1955. In November 1961, Mr Rogers sold the manor with three acres of grounds for £5,500 to Cmdr C. R. Smythe, who sold it in turn to Cmdr Stubley.

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Scottish Villas: The Old School House, Loch Fyne

Situated just outside of the former fishing town of Lochgilphead in West Scotland, and close to the neighbouring Ardrishaig (which is renowned for sailing and watersports) sits The Old School House.

Located just back from the road and leading directly down onto Loch Fyne, the traditionally charming property, which was once — unbelievably — a school house, has, in recent years undergone renovation work. The result is a lovely home in an unbeatable location.

Read and see more at Country Life UK

Design: Portage Bay Float Home, Lake Union, Seattle

“We wanted the interior to act as a canvas for natural light and convey an overall appearance of lightness…”

Stainless steel counters, aluminum lightwells, and whitewashed pine walls and ceilings help create a feeling of lightness—perfectly suited for a floating home on water. 

Following a long tradition of floating homes in Seattle, the dwelling is located on the north end of Lake Union, in a spot called Portage Bay.

It was built on top of a log-float foundation dating to the early 1900s. The home sits close to the shore and has access to a garden.

Read more at Dezeen.com

Garden Walks: Claude Monet’s Home In Giverny

The Fondation Claude Monet is a nonprofit organisation that runs and preserves the house and gardens of Claude Monet in Giverny, France, where Monet lived and painted for 43 years. Monet was inspired by his gardens, and spent years transforming them, planting thousands of flowers.

English Country Estates: ‘Tormarton Court’ In Badminton, Cotswolds

There is no better address in the Cotswolds than that of the Duke of Beaufort’s Badminton estate in south-west Gloucestershire.

The property originally dates from the 16th century, with alterations from the 17th and 18th centuries, but the present house is largely based on the remodelling that took place in 1812 for the Duke of Beaufort’s son, Lord William Somerset, who was rector of St Mary Magdalene Church that stands opposite the former rectory.

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Design Tour: ‘Harry House’ In Melbourne, Australia

Nestled in the northern suburb of Coburg, Harry House by Archier is a Japanese-inspired home that radiates familiarity and comfort. As per the clients’ brief,

Harry House is a Japanese-inspired home, with Archier incorporating Japanese design into many aspects of the architecture. Originally, the site was a double-fronted pre-war weatherboard cottage; the clients wanted to retain the entry’s warmth but reorientate the living space to frame the green foliage. This allowed the space to be maximised, combining the old and new aspects of the building. Named after the family dog ‘Harry’,

Harry House experiments with interior design, space and usability. The materials were chosen with care, making sure that each element ages well and is robust for family life. The textures celebrate honest carpentry, with materials that are unpolished yet full of life, adding to the atmosphere of the home. Harry House is centred around family, with bespoke living areas that connect multiple aspects of the home. This includes the soft netted areas located in the voids, allowing the residents to occupy spaces without needing furniture. Archier’s extension adds new elements of play, specifically in its design references to a childhood treehouse. The client’s Japanese heritage inspired the house, including how the space interplays with natural light and connection to the lush gardens. Located 10 minutes from the Archier Studio, the house has access to the Merri Creek, as well as restaurants on Lygon Street and Sydney Road. As a Japanese-inspired home, the layout of the bathrooms was important for functionality and design. With separate spaces for the toilet, basin and bathing, it is easy to see how the architecture was influenced by the client’s heritage, honouring the traditional ways Japanese bathrooms are configured. Having exceeded the clients’ expectations, and taking design inspiration from the client’s Japanese heritage, Harry House by Archier is a sustainable home, ready to raise a young family. Architecture and Interior Design by Archier. Filmed and Edited by Dan Preston. Production by The Local Project.

Analysis: Why U.S. Houses Are So Expensive (CNBC)

With Covid encouraging city-dwellers to emigrate to the suburbs and families looking for home offices and bigger yards, prices for the American dream home have skyrocketed. Home prices surged in March 2021 up 13% from the year prior, according to the S&P Case-Shiller index. With homeowners unwilling to sell, a record-low supply of homes for sale has forced buyers into intense bidding wars. At the end of April 2021 there were only 1.16 million houses for sale in the U.S. down more than 20.5% from the year prior. Higher costs for land, labor and building materials including lumber have also impacted homebuilders. With the 30-year fixed mortgage rate hovering near a 50-year low and strong demand pushing prices to all-time highs, why is the housing supply so meager? Watch the video to find out if the U.S. is running out of houses.

Green Housing: ‘Nature Village’ – Denmark (Video)

Copenhagen-based studio EFFEKT has presented plans for a residential development that forms part of its contribution to the upcoming venice architecture biennale. titled ‘naturbyen’, a name that translates as ‘nature village’, the project will see a field in denmark transformed into a completely new forest-neighborhood district comprising more than 200 homes. the development seeks to demonstrate how sustainable housing development can be combined with ambitious afforestation, increased biodiversity, and circular resource thinking. ‘as humanity is facing its greatest challenge ever with the imminent threat of climate change, habitat loss and depletion of natural resources — not to mention the ongoing pandemic — we need to rethink the way we live together on this planet. not only as humans, but across all species and ecosystems,’ EFFEKT tells designboom, discussing how the project responds to the biennale’s theme — ‘how will we live together?’. Responding to denmark’s goal of covering 20% of its landmass with forest by 2100, EFFEKT developed the project in collaboration with the town of middelfart. the site, currently an agricultural field, will be densely planted with a mix of native tree seedlings — an approach based on interviews and insight from industry experts, anders busse nielsen and björn wiström. ‘with a project like ‘naturbyen’ we try to address the growing need for more housing while also restoring natural habitats in close proximity to our cities, increasing biodiversity and through afforestation sequester carbon over time,’ EFFEKT explains.

Estate Tours: Lyndhurst Mansion In The Hudson Valley, New York (Video)

The historic Lyndhurst Mansion, designed by architect Alexander Jackson Davis, is a prime example of the Gothic Revival style, located on 67 beautifully-landscaped acres in New York’s Hudson Valley. “Sunday Morning” host Jane Pauley offers viewers a tour.

Lyndhurst, also known as the Jay Gould estate, is a Gothic Revival country house that sits in its own 67-acre park beside the Hudson River in Tarrytown, New York, about a half mile south of the Tappan Zee Bridge on US 9. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.