deliberate for dramatic effect. The tall, almost
cathedral-like gallery room ends in an inverted curved
bay looking out into the foliage, where ‘you can
practically walk into the view’. The floor is lined in
etched steel sheet in a pattern designed by Moulson
to reference Georgian plaster ceilings.
One floor up from the corridor, a glazed roof,
uncovered during the works, shelters a winter garden.
Above it, a small volume hanging off the main house,
which used to be an old asbestos construction, has
been replaced by a lush Azul Imperial quartzite-clad
toilet with a structural glass floor and wall, as ‘a sort
of inhabited window’. One flight up leads to the master
bedroom, with its large dressing room and bathroom
space full of hidden cabinetry; it is a cross between
an upmarket fitting room, a bathroom and a club. ‘It
needed to work on a practical level but I also wanted
there to be theatre in using it,’ Moulson admits.
The top floor contains the four brilliantly white
children’s bedrooms, brightened further by pops of
colour and seamless white Corian bathrooms. The
basement is dedicated to a more moody lounge and
spa, while the coach house has been converted into
a guest studio with a garage underneath.
The main living space is on the first floor, next
to a dining area featuring a ceiling piece by artist
Morag Myerscough. This was Mouslon’s clever way
of adding drama to the room, but with minimum
architectural intervention. ‘Morag’s painted artwork
gave us a chance of switching traditional plasterwork
for a contemporary ornate ceiling. Besides, the best
Georgian examples often used colour with plasterwork,
which is lost in the monochrome presentations of
today’, he says. Elsewhere, new plasterwork references
the original house’s decorative spirit, mixed witharches and round openings that soften the interior
while highlighting its expressive character.
While variety and individuality prevail, everything
comes together effortlessly in a space that is more family-
home-with-a-twist than architect’s folly. The owners
seem to agree: ‘It has been exciting to bring family life
back into this building, mixing so many ideas into a
harmonious outcome, thanks to Jake and his team,’
they say. And who will argue with a happy customer? ∂
jakemoulson.com‘The bathroom needed to work on a
practical level but I also wanted theatre’
ABOVE, THE MASTER DRESSING
ROOM AND BATHROOM, FULL
OF LEATHERWORK, MIRRORS
AND HIDDEN CABINETRY
RIGHT, FLANKED BY CURVED
AND PATTERNED CAST-IRON
PANELS, THE FIRST FLOOR’S
‘INHABITED WINDOW’ HOUSES
A QUARTZITE-CLAD TOILET∑
In Residence
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