That imaginative and prescient would develop into this property, The Maker’s Home — much less of a home, extra a sketch of all of Robert’s loves and passions on the planet of structure and design, in a single place.
In a world the place houses are cherry-picked from on-line catalogues with temper boards monitored by analytics, this property, which took 11 years to return to fruition, melds Mediterranean Tuscan vibes with the Essex countryside, and stamps a daring mixture of straw bale cottages, zinc-fronted modernism and the essence of historical Rome on to the best level within the county.
And probably the most shocking factor? It’s virtually fully a new-build residence. Robert and his spouse Elaine used to reside close by and produce their canine to the kennels that had been beforehand right here.
‘We obtained to know the house owners fairly effectively. It appeared a crying disgrace that canine obtained the advantage of such an excellent web site with incredible views,’ he laughs.
The kennels had been closing and the couple struck a deal to purchase the land. ‘I skilled as an architect a few years in the past and developed a enterprise that created tasks like this for shoppers,’ says Robert.
‘We then obtained to the purpose the place age was catching up so determined to go for one mission for ourselves. That may be a lifetime residence — and that is it.’
The prolonged technique of securing planning permission concerned dwelling on-site in an American RV, then years of tweaking till they obtained what they wished.
The entire web site was cleared and the one remnant of the unique constructing now homes a spectacular outside kitchen that almost all budding cooks would give their leftover nutmeg to have indoors. It options an Aga, dishwasher, fridge freezer, BBQ and seating for eight.
The brand new lodging is unfold over a scatter of various buildings: low ceiling cottages and a steel dice, not dissimilar to a delivery container on stilts that stands alongside a pink brick constructing that appears prefer it has been there endlessly.
Robert says: ‘It's not straightforward to elucidate the fashion of this constructing, because it has influences from Roman onwards. There are three vertical exterior reductions in wall thickness so the constructing truly tapers visually simply sufficient.
‘Regionally made bricks laid in Flemish bond, dummy home windows and brick arches are parts seen throughout the centuries and I’ve embraced the craft.
‘There may be, I hope, an English rhetoric, however by juxtaposition of applicable trendy elements I hope I’ve averted plagiarising or creating one other neo.’
Every part is surrounded by a curious mix of typical English backyard, Italian countryside full with orange bushes, and Victorian-style decorative hedges. Each backyard and buildings trick the senses.
The second a customer thinks they've discovered a linearity it's banished by a Georgian-style portico that's truly produced from steel.
The patina staircase, designed by Robert, is each conventional and as industrial as a Shoreditch barbershop and runs like an insect by way of the constructing.
There may be triple-glazing all through and downstairs within the dwelling areas nation cottage and manor home are punctuated by Le Corbusier LC3 chairs.
‘The home is all new,’ says Robert. ‘For a few years I labored throughout the fashion and form of interval buildings and I’m very attracted with constructing previous and new. [With this property] we tried to breach the previous and the brand new.
‘Pastiche is the place individuals use all the interval fashion round them to create a faux home, however right here there may be all the time one thing to remind you it isn’t an previous home.’
Nearly all the things, together with the curving Shaker-style kitchen, has been designed and constructed by Robert from scratch. The massive unit for crockery and glasses within the kitchen dwelling area was purchased from eBay nevertheless it was deconstructed and rebuilt to extra exacting high quality and magnificence. ‘Flicking by way of catalogues I realised there may be not a lot I need to purchase,’ he smiles.
Each materials, floor, color, planted tree or bespoke sculpture created by Robert from components of the earlier constructing, has been chosen with precision.
Robert celebrates his working life by way of one final mission that marks the lifetime of his architectural follow. The frivolously aged boxing glove, tan leather-based of the totally different sofas and armchairs makes them seem like a set that arrived by HGV someday however they're all totally different, collected through the years to fill the area with a membership environment.
The lounge desk is produced from tree stumps of a tree that needed to be felled to construct the home — nothing is ever wasted and, Robert provides, it was one thing of a ‘sorry’ to the tree. The ceiling lights are produced from used gin bottles.
Each grasp bedrooms are outward trying, sharing the lengthy views of the encircling countryside by way of the ground to ceiling home windows. They each use darkish paint tones to reinforce exterior reflection of the home windows and create steadiness within the feeling of enclosure.
The smooth cloth wall coverings are used as a counterpoint to the laborious glass. The outside lighting across the gardens and terraces assist lengthen the rooms at night time.
‘We loved constructing it,’ Robert says. ‘It got here straight out of my head onto the area.
‘It's an amalgamation of tasks and ideas from my years of labor. I spent loads of my profession being advised what can and might’t be completed and I attempted to throw these ideas away.’
Robert and Elaine like to journey, particularly to southern Europe, and have a home in France they keep at when renting out their home on Distinctive Homestays.
And the tranquil heat air of the Med oozes into the brickwork of the Saffron Walden countryside.
From the 2 grasp bedrooms upstairs the view over the Essex fields is unblocked, there may be not a pylon in sight. The Maker’s Home, too, is a transparent uninterrupted imaginative and prescient. It's also not prone to be completed any time quickly.
‘I really like a mission however we're not in search of wherever else — I really like the home and hope so as to add extra to it, possibly an indoor swimming pool subsequent.
‘I don’t suppose the property is static as an object — there may be all the time one thing new so as to add.’
The Maker’s Home is out there to hire at Distinctive Homestays.
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