Mayfly Cottage by Stiff + Trevillion, UK

Large cottage with wooden cladding on walls

Designed for a couple of London-based fly-fishing enthusiasts seeking a weekend retreat in the English countryside, Mayfly Cottage is a new residential project by London-based architects Stiff + Trevillion

(Image credit: TBC)

Side angled view of two-level building — The two-level, 310sq m house, created with traditional construction methods from the area, is the architects' reinterpretation of a rural barn on the River Test in Hampshire

Building near to an old manor house — The new building sits on the grounds of a listed manor house, on a plot where an old cottage once served as ancillary accommodation

Close up view of open glass doors into the living space — 'A sustainable approach was key,' explains lead architect Chris Eaton. 'This was led by using a combination of local materials and tradesman and traditional construction methods in a contemporary fashion.'

Interior view of living room with chairs in front of a fire place — Living areas flow out onto a stone terrace

Corner sofa in living room and large wooden coffee table — An abundance of glass brings in plenty of natural light into the interior

Interior view of dining room looking out onto garden — The spacious ground floor unites the kitchen, dining, living and TV areas in a bright, open space

Dining room table and chairs and wooden staircase to the right — The dining room

View through door way of arm chair and fire place — Wooden beams are used throughout the house, echoing local architecture

Bright kitchen with island and breakfast stools — The bright and airy kitchen

Living room view and wooden railed balcony on second floor — The double-height core of the house

View through dark wooden door of sink and mirror — The downstairs bathroom

View through wooden door of a brick wall — Bricks and wood bring contrasting pattern into the house

Hall view of wall unit and blue painted wall — The spacious entrance hall

View of wooden stairs — A wooden staircase leads to the top level with its master bedroom, en suite bathroom and dressing area, plus three additional bedrooms and bathrooms

Four poster bed with view of nature from balcony — This double bedroom looks out onto the pool below

Bathroom view of double sink on white cupboard — The sink area in the master bathroom

Sink area and view through to bath — Sloped ceilings give the building a distinctly barn-like feel

Bath with a view out into the garden — A bath with a view

Corridor view of house — A picture window enlivens a corridor on the first floor

White wooden sink unit with large wall mirror behind — One of the ensuite bathrooms

Exterior view of cottage — Though the architects designed all internal details, down to the joinery, the owners were heavily involved in every stage. Having worked with Stiff + Trevillion on two previous properties in Putney and Kensington, they had a solid relationship with the architects and remained a key part of the process

Side view of property and drive — Sticking to local techniques, environmentally friendly features and natural materials like handmade bricks and roof tiles, charred timber cladding and green oak for the frame, Stiff + Trevillion cleverly translated the barn's vernacular typology to a space fit for 21st-century living

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Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).