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.

In 2025 we are 25 years old, so over the year we are going to pick out 25 of our favourite projects from the archive to share with you.

Some are already well known, some less so, but all are special to us for different reasons and we hope you will enjoy this look into the first 25 years of our practice.

Kicking things off is our first ever project. This charming farmhouse was carefully designed to break down its visual mass with the main building formed from rubble stone being supplemented by a rear wing, a rendered service wing and a timber clad garage block.

We designed this home in Berkshire to have a striking green oak frame and large amounts of glazing, which when coupled with a reclaimed fireplace and grate create a comfortable space for our client.

Whilst beautifully rendered watercolour drawings are excellent as presentation drawings, sometimes the artistic qualities of a sketch conveys the idea being discussed and we often produce concept sketches to communicate the interior ambiance and spaces we are designing.

This sketch is of a vaulted kitchen breakfast room as part of the remodelling of a large country house in West Berkshire.

Details make a building and we particularly enjoy the thinking that goes into each and every move we make as part of the design process.

A good example is the window above the porch of this country house we recently remodelled in a Gothic style. The window is divided by a transom to keep the rhythm of the fenestration, but the window itself sits behind, maximising the amount of glazing the window has.

Converting existing buildings is a balancing act of the proposed use with the character of the building.

Introducing new glazing can be particularly tricky, but sometimes the building itself will give you the answer. The large dormer window on this barn conversion in Wiltshire proved the inspiration for two further dormers, greatly increasing the light into the building, without appearing alien in character.

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.

We’ve recently revisited a housing development we designed in Wiltshire, which included a courtyard of new build houses and a bungalow, but also two historic buildings dating back to the 1800s which were outbuildings to a long ago demolished mansion house.

These new homes are restored to the latest standards of insulation and services, but with the character of a bygone age that only an historic building can give.

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 do love a hand drawing here and we’ve been looking back through the archives recently to find our favourites.

This is one of Alex’s favourites. This elegant pair of gate lodges we designed for a country estate in Hampshire are, at the same time, both subservient to the main house, but still give the impression of what it will be like. The Georgians used gate lodges to signify the gravitas of their country houses, but still always remembered the fact that they were service buildings. A tricky balance, but one we are delighted to have struck here.

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.