Room, Rural Kent by Carl Trenfield Architects

Carl Trenfield Architects (CTA) have employed a self-described, “close, intense and engaged way of making architecture” in their residential project dubbed Room in rural Kent. The architects focused on the micro-scale, perfecting details to deliver a highly sophisticated, deeply functional home.

The project questions the role of craftsmanship in the digital age. “Every joint, element and mark-made was first three-dimensionally modelled, tested and then further drawn for fabrication via automated CNC cutting – enabling absolute control, expression, and accuracy,” explains the team.

All elements of the project were first drawn at 1:1, creating close to ten sets of fabrication drawings. Both the positive forms and the negative formwork were drawn and cut into twenty casts – including those for thresholds, surfaces, wall panels, and sinks. Architects outline, “physical 1:1 prototype ensured a more precise understanding of scale so often hard to grasp in a purely digital environment”, creating a balanced and well-proportioned result.

Interiors are both tough, utilitarian and handsome. Exposed red brick, concrete, and stone sit alongside warm timber and leather. A layered palette of humble and robust materials have been chosen based on their ability to reshape themselves over time. The rough, raw quality of exposed brick, offers a counterbalance to the white, polished cabinetry – creating a layered and visually interesting scheme. Warm sunlight bounces off the somewhat harsh interiors, illuminating the brick mosaic of orange tones. The result, light-filled, airy spaces that unfold gently around occupants.

“Ergonomics, utility and formal hierarchy can be seen in the visually segmented kitchen station where use is suggested by surface material, the three articulated doorways where material application to the ziggurats and threshold depth denote importance,” explains CTA.

The kitchen becomes the heart of the home, sitting as an eclectic assembly of beautifully handcrafted materials. White panelled cabinetry gives way to an oversized concrete sink, that is reminiscent of a rural home – the source of inspiration for the whole design. Moments of deep blue-green marble bring subtle colour to the otherwise restrained scheme.