Woodsend

This was never about square metres or resale value. It was about finding peace.

2022

Private Residential

Sustainability

Woodsend is a contemporary, Scandi-inspired home set within a private Nottinghamshire woodland, designed for low-impact, efficient living with sweeping views over the surrounding countryside.

Brief

Some clients arrive with Pinterest boards and precise room sizes. Others rock up with something far more valuable: complete trust and a vision that's more feeling than specification. Our Woodsend clients fell firmly into the latter camp, asking us to create a sanctuary that reflected their lifestyle rather than dictating it.

They loved Scandinavian restraint, natural materials, and the kind of minimalist precision that makes Marie Kondo weep with joy. But more than anything, they wanted to wake up feeling peaceful instead of reaching for their phones in a panic.

The site made their dream both possible and gloriously challenging. Three sides wrapped in dense woodland, the fourth opening to miles of rolling countryside. Complete privacy—the kind where your nearest neighbor is probably a badger—but a slope that could either make the design sing or send it tumbling into the trees.

Location

Nottinghamshire

Status

Completed

Client

Private Client

Services

Architectural Design

Planning

3D Visualisation

Project Management

Area

3,050 sqft

Floating Above the Forest Floor

Rather than carving into the woodland like some architectural bulldozer, we let the building float. Cantilevered forms stretch over reflection ponds. Bridges connect indoor and outdoor spaces. The house feels embedded in its setting, not dropped onto it by a particularly ambitious crane operator.

This wasn't just about looking pretty—it was about performance that would make a Swiss engineer smile. The piled, stepped concrete base and suspended slab system allowed those sweeping cantilevers while keeping the building envelope tighter than a Yorkshire wallet.

Off-Grid, On Point

The house runs completely off-grid through solar panels, air source heat pumps, and a private borehole for fresh water. But the technology stays so invisible, even the most tech-phobic guests feel instantly at home.

Planning Permission: The Green Belt Gauntlet

Planning approval in the green belt is usually about as straightforward as assembling IKEA furniture blindfolded. But proving the design enhanced rather than harmed the landscape helped us sail through. The committee loved how the building's transparency preserved sight lines through the woodland—a rare unanimous approval that had us questioning whether we'd accidentally submitted someone else's drawings.

The Art of Less Is More

Every view is curated—sometimes framing the ancient oak trees, sometimes the distant hills, occasionally the koi pond that's become more photogenic than most influencers. Rooms flow into each other through large sliding panels instead of traditional doors, maintaining that sense of openness without the awkward "where did I put the door handle?" moments.

The material palette is deliberately restrained: concrete, brushed steel, and vertical larch cladding that weathers more gracefully than most of us age. No skirting boards, no architraves—just clean lines and mitred edges that reward closer inspection (and make visiting tradespeople slightly nervous about their standards).

Smart Home. Invisible Tech.

Smart technology controls blinds, sound, lighting, and temperature throughout, but so discreetly you'd need a manual to find the actual controls. The house doesn't feel automated—it just feels like it's quietly anticipating your every need without being creepy about it.