While undertaking a refurbishment project on a Manor House near Winchester, architect Andy Ramus of the practice of AR Design Studio, discovered a run-down structure in the grounds. The structure in question turned out to be the stables which had accommodated a champion racehorse when in 1946, ‘Lovely Cottage’ won the Grand National and triumphantly returned home to this actual location. 

It is these stables that Andy Ramus transformed into a contemporary 3 bedroom home for himself and his young family. The concept of the design was to retain as much as possible of the original structure however, for practical reasons, the timber framed windows were replaced by powder coated steel framed double glazing. The rich dark brown timber of the interior stalls was retained and incorporated into the contemporary design. The centrally positioned kitchen appears to be enclosed within an actual horse stall and sits center stage to divide the public from the private spaces of the home.

Wherever possible original pieces were used as functional elements, the horse troughs were cleaned and became bathroom sinks and the horse ties now hold the bathroom towels. Original timber doors were restored and fitted and the result is a bright clean contemporary space which allows the vintage pieces to visually ‘pop’ and create a striking contrast with the polished concrete floors and pristine white walls. A great conversion project with a strong element of period character, adding warmth to the contemporary rural home.