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.

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.

Architects are always thinking about the spaces they are creating within the buildings they design. It is important to always consider the third dimension.

Generosity is not always a two dimensional construct, extra height to a space, increases the volume and makes an ordinary space feel for generous and dramatic. This stair hall in a country house we designed in Wiltshire shows exactly the result of this sort of consideration.

First impressions count. And nothing makes a good first impression like an well designed entrance hall.

For this project in Wiltshire we restored the entrance hall of this Grade II listed 19th century home, retaining, repairing and cleaning Victorian encaustic floor tiles and providing plenty of space for coats. The spaciousness of the room gives a generosity of feeling to the house from the very first room.

Much of the elements of Georgian architecture are evolved from the Classical principles first seen in the traditions of ancient Greek and Roman architecture.

The evolutions are continual but often reference back to earlier times. The first floor window on this Georgian townhouse includes what is known as a Venetian or Serlian (after Sebastiano Serlio) window. A Venetian window is a three part window with the central part being arched topped and the two symmetrical sidelights being shorter. All three are broken up by pilasters and are topped by an entablature.

It is very important to us to be, wherever possible, genuine in the materials we use. Natural materials have an inherent beauty that is second to none.

We were very lucky to have a ‘resident’ stonemason on a country house project we worked on in Wiltshire. Here are some of the carved pieces which made their way onto the final building including cornices, architraves and capitals.

You never know what you will discover when working on historic buildings. The rich tapestry of the past can sometimes throw up some unexpected discoveries.

Sometimes however the discoveries can merely be the result of a simple clean. This building in Wiltshire which we designed an apartment conversion scheme for sits right on the main road. Years of dirt and road grime has built up, obscuring to all but the most eagle eyed the phrase over the door. All it took was a bucket of warm soapy water!

Houses don’t exist on their own, they have a setting and this can be as important as the building when trying to get things ‘just so’.

For this project in the North Downs we were lucky enough to not just design the building but also the landscaping to ensure that both house and garden worked in harmony. Here you can see a parterre, the herringbone brick terrace and in the background the circular lawn.

The important thing when converting a barn is to use the fabric of the building to lead the design. That way the resulting property still looks and feels like a barn.

This can throw up some issues with low head heights, strange window positions and unusual corners, but this Grade II listed barn in Hampshire is a good example of the beauty that can be created by being led by what is there. As you can see from the before and after photos it has clearly been converted with softwood shiplap cladding being replaced by a return to traditional feather edged boarding, but is definitely still the same building and still a barn.

Responding to the unique challenges of a site is something we really enjoy.

The site of this house is spectacular, a secluded hillside with breath-taking views. Our client wanted to create a homes that would add to this scene, would occupy the hillside and lie, rather romantically, against a background of dense woodland, overlooking the valley below.

It is always very rewarding to see one of our designs starting to settle into it’s landscape.

Here is a photo of our recently completed North Downs project in Surrey. The careful choice of materials and detailing makes the finished home look grounded already. We’re really looking forward to see how the landscaping scheme we designed, at the same time as designing the house, develops over the next few years.

We’re delighted to have gained planning permission to extend this country house in Berkshire. We designed this house originally and are delighted to have, once again, been invited back to work on the next stage of the evolution of this family home.

We’re currently working on the technical drawings and are looking forward to seeing it start on site soon!

Selection of materials when working of conservation projects is critical. Specify the wrong product and the whole building runs the risk of looking like an unworthy addition to the site.

The Grade II* listed country house in the Test Valley has had carefully selected handmade roof tiles to add a subtle variation and character to the roof plane, a specially selected mix of handmade bricks and carefully crafted timber French doors, all expertly executed by Moulding The Builder. The result is a worthy addition to this historic family home.

Whilst we love town life, country life is our great passion.

It is fitting then to look back at when one of our country house projects in the Test Valley was featured in Country Life magazine in November 2004. Author Caroline Fetherstonhaugh chose our scheme as one of just five homes carefully selected to represent “new houses in the classical tradition”.

It’s often the little details which add up and give buildings their unique aesthetic character. Something which on it’s own seems a small choice, but one which you’d really miss if a different decision had been made.

A case in point is these beautiful handmade Sahtas Terracotta Products clay bonnet hip tiles on a country house we’re building in Surrey. There’s nothing wrong with using hip ridge tiles, but the traditional swept form of these bonnet hips just add a certain something to an expertly tiled roof like this one.

We often work on sites which already have a building on them. Whilst that can sometimes lead to a scheme which includes the existing building, sometimes a better outcome can be developed by starting again. Here is a before and after photo showing how this approach can lead to an award winning result. This family home in Wiltshire is a firm favourite in our portfolio and sits on a site within a village site found for our clients by Sarah ERSKINE-HILL, with windows by Mumford & Wood Ltd.

Continuing our look at the INTBAU charter…

Another point raised within this document is that “traditional buildings and places maintain a balance with nature and society that has developed over many generations”. We feel really passionately that the nature within a place is something to be celebrated and cherished, such as at this Hampshire country house where we retained existing mature trees as part of the landscape design.

We’re delighted to have been shortlisted for the Build It Awards 2023 for this stunning South Downs country house.