The Uplands Fruit Farm is located several miles from the little village of Bentley, near Ipswich, UK.  A Victorian farmhouse existing on the site was originally slated to be renovated and extended, but the owners decided that by rebuilding from the ground up, they would make fewer compromises in the design.  The original footprint of the house was retained as the central living core, with the addition of a snooker room and extensive landscaping which involved the design of a Japanese-inspired tea house at the end of the garden.  A pergola constructed of heavy green oak timbers connects the main house and the tea house.



The house was under construction when I came on to the project, but there were a number of design issues to be resolved as the scope of work was expanded halfway through the construction phase.  I was tasked with designing many of the interior wood elements as well as the green oak pergola connector.  In each of the three bedrooms, one wall is clad in removable european oak panels which form integral headboards for the beds.  On the ground floor, the music room contains custom bookshelves and drawers surrounding a fireplace.  I worked closely on-site with the craftsmen who were fabricating the millwork, developing details which suited the vernacular of the building.