London-based architecture studio George King Architects has added a tiny extension to a 17th century cottage in the Cotswolds, United Kingdom. 

The room, covering a 16-square-metre space, functions as a reading room and a flexible space that will allow the client to enjoy their tranquil garden setting all year round. 

The cabin-like mini room is located on the side of Uley Bury, an Iron Age hill fort and scheduled ancient monument, the site also falls within a conservation area and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

As the architects highlight, the key design feature of this mini room is to be situated adjacent to a 17th century cottage in the Cotswolds and is its glass walls which can disappear entirely behind three timber bookcases. 

The bookcases also form the vertical structure of the building, supporting a cantilevered green roof. This design allows the walls of the building to vanish entirely, creating a surreal outdoor living room.  

The unsupported roof corner allows the space to bleed into the garden, which has been transformed into a series of landscaped terraces, whilst the bookcases frame views across the valley to the hills beyond.

The architects wanted to create a strong relationship between the old and the new on this sensitive site, was a key driver to the design. The new extension is clad in charred timber to reference the original dark stained windows, Victorian ironwork and wooden beams of the cottage while the interior finishes are light birch plywood to complement the existing Cotswold stone walls. 

"These walls were in a poor condition having been painted previously and so were restored by stripping off the paint, repointing and repairing where necessary in order to expose the beautiful Cotswold stone and add warmth and texture to the cottage," said the firm.

"The project also includes the design of a set of bespoke furniture formed from plywood to match the interior." 

The studio choice to use modular design furnitures adding the flexibility of the space so that the client can reconfigure the arrangement and move the furniture inside or outside depending on the weather.

Plan

Detailed plan

Section

Elevations

Detail drawing 

All images © George King Architects

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