Down Farm

New Build Barn

Christopher David Design was appointed to design a house that feels as though it has always belonged to the land. The brief called for a home that would sit quietly within the valley, responding to the agricultural context while offering a refined and generous living environment for modern family life.

From the outset, the architecture was shaped by its setting. Long views across the valley, changing light throughout the day, and the sense of openness that defines the site all became drivers of the design. Rather than imposing itself on the landscape, the house is carefully composed to frame it.

The defining architectural gesture is the fully glazed gable end, positioned to draw the eye outward and anchor the home to the valley beyond. From within, the glazing dissolves the boundary between interior and landscape, allowing the countryside to become an ever-present backdrop to daily life. Morning light floods deep into the house, while evenings are softened by expansive views across the land as it settles into dusk.

The Design Journey

Internally, the house is organised around generous, open living spaces that reflect the simplicity and clarity of barn architecture. Volumes are calm and well-proportioned, with an emphasis on height, light, and connection rather than overt complexity. The main living areas unfold naturally, offering a sense of openness while still allowing spaces to feel anchored and intimate.

Materiality plays a quiet but important role throughout the design. The architectural language is deliberately restrained, allowing texture, light, and shadow to define the experience of the spaces. The result is a home that feels both contemporary and timeless — modern in its performance and planning, yet rooted in the agricultural heritage that inspired it.

Despite its scale and openness, Down Farm is ultimately a deeply livable home. It has been designed around the rhythms of family life — mornings opening out to the landscape, afternoons shaped by movement and gathering, evenings drawing inward while remaining visually connected to the valley beyond.

As a new-build, the project offered the opportunity to consider every aspect of the house holistically, from massing and orientation through to interior atmosphere and long-term durability. The result is a home that feels purposeful, calm, and inseparable from its setting.