Nithurst Farm shortlisted for RIBA House of the Year 2019
Referencing 18th century architecture, the surrounding natural scenery of the South Downs National Park in Sussex, and the work of Russian filmmaker Tarkovsky, this is architect Adam Richards' dream family home
![Nithurst Farm in Sussex features a brick clad skin and arched windows that add further movement and dynamism to its stepped volume.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/az2MVLqwLQi6EJQQ7aBx9A-415-80.jpeg)
Nestled in the rolling hills of the South Downs National Park in Sussex, Nithurst Farm appears almost as something out of a fairy tale. It's not just the - undeniably - dreamy natural scenery that inspires such feelings. The new-build house, designed by architect Adam Richards as his family home, is far removed from your usual country cottage - feeling unusual, yet oddly familiar, invoking images of castle turrets and romanesque cathedrals.
Its inception was fittingly romantic and bursting with heady cultural references. ‘There is an 18th century tower nearby, built as an architectural folly, which can be seen from the top windows of the house, so we make reference to this', says Richards. ‘In terms of context, the woods around represent the world of chaos, while my house’s south elevation presents an image of order’. Further references, he explains, range from the formal architecture of Blenheim Palace architect Sir John Vanbrugh, to Paul Nash's ‘Mansions of the Dead' (the house's south facade hints strongly to the formal arrangements in the painting) and the Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky.
Created in structural concrete with a thick brick skin and a black zinc roof, the structure is a stepped volume with distinct arched windows that add drama and a sense of motion to the design. This outline also echoes the hills around the building, making it fit just right into its soft, leafy surrounds.
Inside, an unexpectedly modest side door (which in fact is the main entrance into the house) opens up to lofty ceilings that create a cathedral-like feel in the main living areas. ‘I like the idea of this compression and then release into the open plan space', says Richards.
‘Part of the thinking behind this house is built around the idea of a journey in Tarkovsky's film Stalker,' he continues, ‘which is about the journey the characters take to enter a forbidden zone. And somewhere there is this special room, where all their wishes might come true. Just before it is an antechamber with tall concrete walls, and our main space is based on that antechamber. The film’s special room is about coming into harmony with the world - and in a way, building your own house is a version of that, so I thought why not make that the key thing?’
This comprises a flowing, mostly open plan ground level that unites a family room, kitchen, two separate dining areas, a study and a children’s playroom tucked away on one side. Everywhere around are raw concrete walls, softened by a timber floor and warm furnishings. A certain sleekness is cleverly maintained by hiding auxiliary spaces, like the pantry, behind sliding doors. Richards explains: ‘The antechamber is also a bit like a church and at one end you'd have the access to heaven. So here we have the Bouroullec Clouds, which represent that in the space. The modular elements' arrangement here are in turn based on the sky in a Tiepolo painting.’
The bedrooms (including a generous master suite with his-and-hers bedrooms and bathrooms, two children’s rooms and three guest suites) are stacked in the tall end of the house, over a more formal living room. The latter is richly decorated with artwork and curiosities collected by the family. Large openings look out towards the gardens and woods beyond, effortlessly bringing the outside in and framing picture-perfect vistas. A few quirkily angled staircases up and you reach the bedrooms - the master is at the very top, enjoying a stunning view of the fields and treetops.
Even though the family had only recently moved into the house when this visit took place, it feels pleasantly lived in, full of life and the stuff that fills it. And the work is not quite fully done yet. There are plans to convert a couple of outbuildings in the property into a studio and event space, to work, entertain guests in and potentially use for exhibitions or artists' residences. There is a new chapter to this fairy tale coming soon.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
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).
-
Take off: Mathieu Lehanneur's Olympic Cauldron rises into the Parisian night sky
The Paris 2024 Olympics’ opening ceremony was closed with a soaring cauldron spectacle that will go down in history
By Hugo Macdonald Published
-
Phaidon’s new Graphic Classics is a lavish greatest hits of graphic design
Graphic Classics is a compendium of seven centuries of visual culture, from the everyday and ephemeral to visionary works that reshaped our world
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Birley Chocolate hits the sweet ’n’ chic spot in London’s Chelsea
The new Birley Chocolate shop, a sibling to Birley Bakery, is a confection of colour as delicious as its finely crafted goods
By Melina Keays Published
-
Tour the Natural History Museum’s new gardens, a Jurassic lark in London
The Natural History Museum in London has unveiled two new gardens, with resident dinosaurs, after a transformation led by architects Feilden Fowles
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Drama Republic moves into a colourful, handcrafted workspace in London
For the new creative HQ of production company Drama Republic, Emil Eve Architects remodels a warehouse into office space in London’s Holborn
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Hideaway House in London features timber panelling inspired by the New York hospitality scene
The elegantly refurbished Hideaway House by Studio McW in London features timber panelling inspired by Philip Johnson’s The Four Seasons Restaurant
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
2024 RIBA National Awards: browse the list of worthy winners
The 2024 RIBA National Awards have been announced, comprising 26 projects across the UK
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
‘Modern Buildings’ tours south-east London through a guide to post-war Blackheath and Greenwich
‘Modern Buildings: Blackheath and Greenwich’ is a detailed survey of a London borough’s rich trove of new modernist architecture
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Triangle House invites you to its inner world of colourful surprises
Triangle House by Artefact is a private home in Epsom, outside London, combining Caribbean style, colour and functionality
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Tour the refreshed Saint Andrew Holborn: an icon reveals its crisp new interior in London
DaeWha Kang reimagines Saint Andrew Holborn church through a sensitive architectural solution that blends tradition and modernity in London
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A Suffolk house by Studio Bark pairs a fresh visual language with low-energy design
Suffolk house Water Farm is off-the-grid but defiantly on the map, a bold new object in the landscape with a strong visual impact and minimal carbon footprint
By Jonathan Bell Published