A derelict woollen mill in a Yorkshire village may not say 'modernist' to everyone. But Chris and Gill - who, fortunately, run their own specialist joinery business - saw it as the perfect opportunity to create a visionary home. They liked the traditional brick of the building and opted to keep the exterior virtually untouched. Inside, they would strip everything out and make a home of fluid spaces, based around an open-plan ground floor, an atrium and a galleried upper floor.
Then came the radical stage of their design - a giant custom-made steel framework fixed inside the building's shell. Like a great 3D noughts-and-crosses grid, it gave structural support and defined the internal spaces. The building would grow around this.
High-Tech But Not Stark
On the ground floor, the single vast living area was given a suggestion of divisions by the upright columns of the framework. Above, the central area - the atrium - was left open to the glass-paned roof, and bedrooms were built around the edge of the building, leading onto a galleried landing.
The architecture is modern and high-tech, but not stark. There are curved shapes and irregular spaces. High up in the atrium, a tubular shower unit juts from the wall like some weather-sculpted rock formation. The free-standing sink unit in the kitchen billows like a boat.
Industrial And Organic
Materials are a deliberate mixture of industrial and organic. Natural wood floors give a warm feel, while the steel frame is left exposed as a design feature. The kitchen mixes wood, chrome and polished black granite. And Chris and Gill built comfort into their plans: they installed underfloor heating and the many windows are double-glazed, conserving heat in winter.
Glass panes in the roof, also double glazed, provide a constant play of natural light, which pours into the atrium and picks out the details of the interior.
The Detail
Spaces are carefully designed. The ground floor is a single, flowing space with smaller areas within it, marked out by architectural features and furniture.
Colours are neutral downstairs - black, beige and white. Art has been painted directly onto walls to keep them smooth.
Furniture has elegant lines (squared-off sofas, rectangular tables) and no single piece is dominant.
Natural light is an active player in this design. A long line of windows set into the ground floor brings light into the living area, and glass panes in the roof flood the atrium with Yorkshire's ever-changing patterns of light and shadow.
Internal walls and wood timbers are boxed with plasterboard and painted white for a sleek look. The exposed steel frame was sanded smooth and spray-painted white.
High-spec electronics, installed for maximum comfort, were integrated into the design. Sophisticated control panels offer instant control over heating, hot water and lighting.
The TV, DVD player, VCR and stereo are set into one wall in specially made steel-and-glass cabinets. The stereo speakers are wide, flat and mounted on walls like paintings.
The TV, DVD player, VCR and stereo are set into one wall in specially made steel-and-glass cabinets. The stereo speakers are wide, flat and mounted on walls like paintings.
In the kitchen, organic shapes and surfaces offset the futuristic chrome. The boat-shaped sink unit is topped with polished black granite, which glows in the light. Kitchen stools have scooped-out seats resembling shells.
Chris and Gill fitted thin 'ship's-rail' steel banisters around the galleried landing, emphasising the openness of the space.
Shallow stairs lead from the ground floor to the landing. The pale wood and black detailing of the steps reflects the colour scheme of the living area, while the steel banisters prepare you for the airy coolness of upstairs.
The tubular shower unit is decorated with dark blue tiles inside, and its outer wall, visible from the atrium, is painted white. A line of glass bricks is set into the wall to allow light to filter through.
This house is more than half way to being eco-friendly without even trying. By renovating an existing building, Gill and Chris are minimising the need for new materials.
Their meticulous restoration of old bricks and slates wins them green points and breathes new life into a piece of local architecture. And while they could have used more materials with green credentials (such as insulation and plaster), Chris and Gill have opted for energy-conserving double-glazing and underfloor heating.
Kevin McCloud:
'This is the classic Le Corbusier white 1920s and 1930s look, brilliantly adapted to the building'
'...It's a wonderful space, with pleasing smaller spaces within it, and constant plays of light.'
'You feel a cleaner, better, healthier human being just sitting there.'
'You feel a cleaner, better, healthier human being just sitting there.'
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