Gainsborough House, the childhood home of the celebrated British artist Thomas Gainsborough, is about to reopen in Sudbury, Suffolk. The space, which has been undergoing thorough refurbishment and redesign by architecture studio ZMMA, is now the largest gallery in its region, and is set to become a key cultural destination for it. The refresh encompasses a new three-storey building, to house an entrance area, as well as four modern gallery spaces.
Gainsborough House reopening
To match the area's architectural language and the existing buildings on site, the new structure was composed in locally made brick and flint. These contemporary spaces are complemented by the careful restoration of the original, Grade I-listed late medieval, Georgian and Regency townhouse where the painter lived. As part of the complex, the open glass-faced Watering Place café and terrace offer connections to the garden as well as a place for visitors and the local community to gather, sit and relax to enjoy and take in the scenery.
'The powerful connection between the landscape surrounding Sudbury and its representation in Gainsborough’s work inspired us to create a new gallery building whose clay and flint materials are brought directly from Gainsborough’s Suffolk landscape. From the expanded museum campus, visitors will enjoy long views of the countryside beyond the town’s rooftops. Sudbury’s silk-weaving led us to make brickwork façades that appear woven, and to silk-line a new gallery for Gainsborough’s grandest canvasses. Gainsborough’s home has been reimagined and enriched to make complementary historic and modern settings for the museum’s displays,' says Adam Zombory-Moldovan, project director at ZMMA.
-
How Augustinus Bader became a billion-dollar brand in four yearsCult skincare brand Augustinus Bader has just become one of the biggest businesses in beauty
-
Bentley Mulliner Batur is a ‘revolution’ for the brand, says director of design Andreas Mindt
The Bentley Batur is the ultimate expression of Bentley’s Mulliner division, a majestic two-door car that could light the way to an all-electric future
-
Roll up! It‘s the Faro Modernist Weekend’s inaugural edition
Faro Modernist Weekend, a festival dedicated to mid-century architectural delights in the Portugal’s Algarve, has just launched its first iteration
-
Lina Ghotmeh will design the Serpentine Pavilion 2023
Lebanon-born, Paris-based Lina Ghotmeh is revealed as the architect to take on the Serpentine Pavilion 2023 commission in London
-
The art of the London extension refined in this sleek modernist addition
Francesco Pierazzi Architects’ London extension in West Dulwich opens a grand Victorian house up to its garden, creating exceptional interior spaces
-
Wraxall Yard transforms derelict Dorset barns into accessible community space
Wraxall Yard in Dorset sees Clementine Blakemore Architects transform a series of derelict barns into an accessible community space, a workshop and holiday accommodation
-
The 2022 RIBA house of the year is among these homes
The hunt for 2022 RIBA House of the Year is starting, and this longlist contains the home that will be crowned the winner on 7 December – watch as the judges whittle down a shortlist weekly
-
The finest brutalist architecture in London and beyond
Can’t get enough of brutalism? Neither can we. Scroll below, for some of the world's finest brutalist architecture in London and beyond
-
Roz Barr’s terrace house extension is a minimalist reimagining
Terrace house extension by Roz Barr Architects transforms Victorian London home through pared-down elegance
-
Etruscan Galleries at Fondazione Luigi Rovati by Mario Cucinella just flow
In Milan, the Etruscan Galleries at the Fondazione Luigi Rovati, designed by architect Mario Cucinella, open to the public
-
Oxford house extension brings Gothic revival to the 21st century
Oxford house extension project Quatrefoil House by Hyde + Hyde blends old and new with flair
