Tucked away in Waldringfield, Suffolk, a reimagined 1930s bungalow, titled Folk House, is a contemporary love letter to the classic British typology. Artist Giles Miller spearheaded the transformation, which sits near the winding riverbank of the Deben. For the commission, his client gave him creative freedom to redesign both the building's interior and facade.
Step inside Folk House, a 1930s bungalow transformed
Miller’s client, makeup and hair artist Jo Gillingwater, was after a complete overhaul of the residence, including a refresh of its facade. The number of 1930s bungalows surged in the UK as part of the interwar housing boom – their characteristics included low-slung roofs, curved walls, and metal ribbon windows.
A lot of these buildings took influence from Art Deco and the Arts and Crafts movement. Using this history and the existing structure's architectural bones, Miller updated the building over the course of three years, adding a new upstairs space, rearranging the interior layout, carving out additional rooms and raising the ceilings.
‘Having spent years visiting the village of Waldringfield and taking long walks with family down the river Deben, I was familiar with the landscape and also the industrial history of the site when I was approached for the project,’ explains Miller. ‘The quaint riverside village is a beautiful mix of stunning Suffolk landscape, wildlife including birds and fish, as well as the delicate but dominant character of the water flowing along the river itself.’
The most obvious architectural update is the building’s facade, a visually intriguing, and tactile trellis of metal ‘petals’ which acts almost like its own piece of contemporary art. Miller says: ‘Historical industrial structures in the village included bottle-neck kilns and machinery used to harness the riverside clay, and it was a combination of these industrial forms imagined alongside the timeless natural elements here that inspired various aspects of the facade artwork.'
'The artwork sits off the building leaving shadows and functioning as a trellis to allow planting to climb up the building, welcoming it into its environment. Shadows left by the offset and the sun create softness in the imagery of the facade, which is an interpretation of the movement of water in the river.’
Miller's close relationship with his clients meant that from their early conversations, a shared intention prevailed – to create a unique domestic experience through an impactful design for both residents and visitors. The facade artwork serves as a key component in this strategy.
‘[The clients]took a significant risk, as all successful artistic projects of this scale require, which I am still so grateful for,’ shares Miller. ‘Our joint approach to the facade sets the tone for a calming experience, and that aesthetic continues into the inside of the space with natural materials and furnishings, plants and a carefully curated textile-rich interior scheme designed by the owner, Jo Gillingwater.’
The facade is the most poignant aspect of the design and is central to defining its character. Miller adds: ‘I visit the owners often, and approaching the house, I feel a deep sense of excitement and impact seeing the facade. I'm delighted to hear from them that so many visitors feel the same. As a creative project, this one-off commission gave me a unique opportunity, with an open brief to use the entire building as an artistic canvas.'
'The combination of an artistic, decorative element with the functional performance of the facade which hosts the climbing jasmine and unifies the plot with the building, is what excites me about our studios approach here. Bringing calm, an explicit and intentional neurological impact even, with a large-scale artwork that is also a gorgeous family home, is a wonderful privilege as an artist.’
