02-05-2025
Transforming a Norfolk stable block into a modern countryside home
Gallery owner Stuart Shave worked with architect David Kohn to create his dream contemporary home in the Norfolk countryside. Built on the footprint of a 19th-century Norfolk stable block and keeping a couple of the original brick walls, they scooped out the rest of the building and restructured it using a mix of glass, steel, oak, and oak panelled front door blends seamlessly with the external fabric of the building. A slim, freestanding clothes rail is ideal to keep essential outdoor wear to new living-dining room is big enough to take Stuart's heavy 3.5-metre American table, without dwarfing the antique side benches and little wooden stools. The whitewashed walls and polished concrete floors continue throughout the house, and the wall of windows is designed so that half of them swing open like doors to the garden beyond.A variety of plants in terracotta pots abound throughout the house. On the main dining table, an assortment of bowls, foraged finds and greenery give the space a relaxed, natural vibeThe ceiling soars to an apex of six metres, incorporating a chimney and fireplace that gives the impression of an updated baronial hall. Low-level, mid-century furniture includes a daybed designed by Charlotte Perriand, a contemporary of Le Corbusier and Jean Prouvé.Stuart has an instinct for furniture shapes such as these triangular-armed Pierre Jeanneret chairs which came from Chandigarh in northern India.A sandblasted-glass door pulls across to form a glazed wall, closing off the master bedroom from the hallway.A quirky find in London's Columbia Road market, these old cinema chairs make the perfect spot to sit and mix of whitewashed brick and timber continues into the bathroom (where the deep concrete bath is particularly good for washing dogs). Touches of mellower wood include the vintage stool from a local reclamation yard and a classic Ercol chair.A section of white wall has a dual purpose – cleverly concealing a walk-in shower and supporting a deep washbasin and vanity natural colours and textures in the bedroom create a calm, peaceful space to unwind.
• For hire details, email stuart@
Follow House Beautiful on TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest
You Might Also Like
7 hallway mirrors to create the illusion of space
13 bedroom wallpaper ideas to transform plain walls
12 garden furniture sets perfect for outdoor entertaining
