The Pond House, Kilmacolm

The project brief was to design a house and independent artist’s studio sitting within an exceptional mature garden. The building would strive to form a series of internal and external spaces, making the most of the different qualities and aspects of the garden and broader views. The clients also wanted a house that offered the opportunity to display and enjoy their art collection.

 A narrow lane leading to the site gave away little of the extraordinary garden and views. Winding paths and stairs led you through mature trees and shrubs, arriving at an enchanting pond. The sense of discovery and unveiling of the garden was one of the critical qualities of the site that initially appealed to the client and became an integral part of the design.

The idea of the house acting as the wall of a secret garden formed part of early design discussions and site visits. This was realised with a long and solid north wall which is stepped out to identify the entrance to the property and is broken by openings leading to the external spaces and the garden beyond. Behind this wall, a long top-lit gallery space displays the client's art collection and acts as the main route between the living space, bedrooms, and studio space.

As you move into and around the house, the views to the garden and beyond are gradually revealed and framed through carefully positioned openings - the main living space offering the most dramatic panorama only interrupted by a feature fireplace. The kitchen and living spaces connect to two outdoor terraces which catch the morning and evening sun. A more sheltered and private open courtyard separates the house and studio, with the studio opening out onto the space via a large bi-folding door.

The client’s colour and curation of artwork complete the internal spaces to create a bold and vibrant interior that contrasts the subtle and natural tones of the architecture and its surroundings.

Natural and hard-wearing materials, which would age gracefully, were selected for the house. A waterstruck, coal-fired brick was used, which picked up on the red tones of the site igneous rock, the coal firing process leaving a beautiful and varied finish with no two bricks the same. Two different lengths of this thinner brick were mixed and coursed to create a more organic finish, with the joints further disguised with a colour matched mortar.  

The brick is balanced with a lighter untreated and open jointed larch cladding used on the east, south and west elevations. Over time the ageing and silvering of the cladding will allow the house to further blend into its setting.

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