The Cook’s House was conceived as a contemporary re-imagining of the Palladian inspired villa, the precursor of the English country house. The design utilised and interpreted the core principals of the classical country villa.
The main house design directly responds to the owner, the site and the site’s heritage. It gives special priority to the kitchen, both as the heart of the modern home, and to reflect the owner’s profession. The kitchen, and its adjoining rooms have been conceived with close input from the owner. The proposed materials of stone, timber and metal have been selected to work with the retained agricultural buildings and the wider setting.
A hierarchy of spaces is defined by the prominent ‘Piano Nobile’, a raised ground floor containing the main living and public spaces. The master and second bedroom suites are contained within the second floor and is set back from the façade to be read as part of the roofscape, allowing a simplicity and elegance to the Piano Nobile.
The hierarchy is extended across the site with guest accommodation and offices located in a courtyard building. which with the main house bookends an original agricultural barn retained for the formal dining room and library.