I’m a bit wary of shouting about this too much as we’re still in the process of finalising contracts and whatnot but after a long, longgg search, myself and the other half of Break The Loop are ‘this’ close to buying our first property! If it all goes ahead (everything crossed please, people) the property in question requires a fairly hefty facelift and we’re also planning a studio build, right next door. Anyone who knows me, knows that I’ve been waiting pretty much my whole life to be let loose on a home of my own. One of the main dilemmas that we face though when planning our studio build is that whilst we love the modern barn aesthetic on the outside, we prefer something slightly more traditional on the inside (I have a bit of a thing against clean boxes filled with sharp edges and zero character – in my eyes ). Given the fact that we will be spending so much time in this space it’s imperative that we are happy, comfortable and that it fuels our creativity in some subtle way. Being a total new build, adding in planning restrictions and a tight budget, the perfect combination could potentially be quite hard to achieve, we are beyond excited to give it a bash though!

So, here is where we’re up to with the exterior, inspiration wise…

We really want to try and fuse the two worlds, modern and traditional. We both love black cladding and so just need to find a compromise with the fixtures and fittings that work as well on the inside as it does on the outside. In an ideal scenario we would be spending the big bucks on brand new double glazed Crittal windows but yeah, that’s not happening. So, instead we’re hoping to aim for wooden framed doors and windows that will mirror the wood used on the decking and the trees that surround it. This could all change as we move further into the process but after much deliberation and back and forth, we think it’s probably the best bet, striking a balance between being financially viable and still aesthetically pleasing. We are also hoping to re use some of the gorgeous old bricks currently on site as they add a wonderfully warm and tactile quality as well as creating an aesthetic link to the main house.

The studio will be reimagined and rebuilt from a relatively small, yet long barn that already sits on the land and so we want to be sympathetic to the surroundings by keeping the low profile and instead adding a little ceiling height through a pitched roof. Depending on the orientation of the building, we would then aim to have solar panels fitted out of sight, on the far slope of the roof.

Sadly we won’t be stretching to the pool (just yet) but the building above is pretty similar in height and profile…

Watch this space for updates as we progress slash jump-through-all-the-necessary-hoops, hopefully as quickly and as seamlessly as possible. We will be learning on the job and documenting as much of it as possible in the hope that we can make the whole process easier for you guys if you ever decide to self build! It will also be pretty cool to look back on one day.

If any of you have already been through this process, either the house buying or the studio build, or if you just have any tips that you fancy sharing then please whack them in the comments section below! 

 

(All images from this Pinterest board.)