This Georgian style country house was designed to have a formal character, reflecting the gentrification and rising affluence which led to the introduction of more formal and varied living accommodation to traditional farm holdings.

Widely used in Ancient Greece the idea of a portico on classical buildings has influenced many design cultures since.

The addition of a portico to this award winning house in Wiltshire adds depth and interest to what could otherwise be a ‘flat’ elevation. The signification of the entrance helps draw the eye visually and practically provides a covered place to stand while the door is opened. Simple, elegant and effective.

Breathing new uses into redundant structures is an important part of ensuring they remain for future generations.

We restored this listed barn and transformed it into additional accommodation for our clients. Key elements of the historic fabric were retained, with new fenestration to replace inappropriate modern glazing, with a new vertical emphasis more in keeping with the barns character.

At the heart of the classical language of architect are the ideas of proportion and symmetry. These drive the elegant looks of buildings designed in this language.

The benefits of the correct use of proportion and symmetry are illustrated nicely by this family home in Wiltshire. Careful balance is needed to create an elegant home and the successful result remains a popular project in our portfolio.

Colour can really change our perception of space.

On paper, the ensuite bathroom in the attic of a farmhouse of restoration in Wiltshire might not have looked interesting, but careful detailing and the client’s use of deep colours gives a powerful impact you might not have expected from the plans.

Analysis of a site can tell you a lot of things which can inform and shape the design of a building. Where are the views? Where is the prevailing weather coming from?

The start point of this project in Oxfordshire, as a result of our analysis, was to create a building which sheltered the entrance from the prevailing winds. The exposed site meant that without this, anyone arriving at the house would find it a rather gusty experience. Not the best first impression…

Long views through a house can draw your view through the building creating a long vista and making a home feel bigger than it really is. This architectural move is called enfilade.

Enfilade has been a device in architecture since the Baroque period and has been employed in a wide range of buildings from the Palace of Versailles to the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery to this restored farmhouse in Wiltshire.

We're pleased to see one of our houses featured in Country Life Property this week.

Penny Churchill spoke to Alex about this family home we designed in Berkshire, to discuss the design thinking behind it.

The property is now for sale through Alex Barton at Strutt & Parker in Newbury.

The first impression of a home should be one of generosity of space, regardless of the size of the house.

If the entrance hall feels spacious and welcoming, even a small house will feel more comfortable as a result. The entrance space of this country house we restored in Wiltshire feels generous as a result of being able to take statement pieces of furniture and by opening into and adjoining space to make it feel bigger than it is.

Some projects just lend themselves to different types of plan form, and we like to explore the possibilities an unusual project can allow.

This classical villa in an urban parkland is an excellent example of this. The main rooms radiate from a central octagonal stair hall and are linked with sweeping curved corridors. The enfillade of the central three spaces acts as a counterpoint to the ‘concealed’ drawing room to the rear which you enter through a journey of discovery.

We talk about craftsmanship a lot in the studio, but is it really that important?

Yes this doorcase would have looked beautiful a simpler frieze, but the extra visual lift the decorative carving here adds changes this from something beautiful, to something truly special. Entirely carved by hand, this is why we cherish craftsmanship so much.

This Grade II* listed building dates back to the early 1700s and we never tire of visiting site as part of our ongoing design works for the owners of this Queen Anne beauty.

This country house is one of our favourites.

The scale is carefully modelled to give maximum floor area for the minimum bulk. The building is broken down into elements to give the impression of a developing language, with subsidiary elements further reducing the perceived size of the building.

Why did we do this? To deliver the space our clients needed, but in a way respectful to the picturesque setting on the edge of a beautiful village. The results speak for themselves.

The inherent beauty of correct proportions can be seen throughout nature, the human body and in classical architecture.

This is well illustrated by the beauty of the Golden Section proportions of this new build country house in Berkshire, balanced with the elegant landscape as part of the driveway approach, centred on a metal sculpture of two dancers.

Classical architecture has an inherent richness to it.

Choosing to build new buildings in this style is something that should not be taken lightly. Without the depth of design and detail, the resulting building can end up looking unconvincing. However, when clients commit to the language of classicism, the results, as at this stunning Wiltshire home, speak for themselves.

We work in a variety of architecture languages from the modern to the classical, but also the vernacular.

This triple gable fronted family home is located in the countryside on the Berkshire/Hampshire border and replaced a unpromising cottage. The vernacular language we employed here responded to the architectural qualities of the original cottage but replaced it with a property befitting its location.

Even in the most unpromising places, beauty can be created.

This derelict poultry farm in the Test Valley was a visual detractor from the surrounding landscape of this part of Hampshire. Our design for this stunning Classical country house gained consent as a replacement offering considerable visual improvement. The result is a comfortable family home set in beautiful landscaped grounds.

Our conservation work sees us cross many thresholds, from the humble to the not so humble.

But the great thing about our projects is we get to look round some really interesting listed buildings, from a chocolate box thatched cottage to a castle. These two projects are examples of where we’ve provided strategic early stage advice to potential owners, helping them shape their future plans.

We like a wide range of architectural languages and which language we use for a project can be decided by a number of factors.

Chiefly though, when working with an existing building, the building itself will give us the correct direction. This country house dates back to the 1890s but the original design felt incomplete and unresolved. The language of the existing home suggested that a Gothic language would be the most appropriate direction and here is the finished article.

We here at AOA love dogs and we love Classical architecture.

What could be better then a picture of our clients Golden Retriever and their beautiful classical country house we’ve recently completed for them in the background. The best of both.