Inspired by agricultural buildings found in the area, the eponymously named Hedge House oozes timeless design and imbues a sense of calm which has been widely recognised as a unique home like no other.

Packing a Punch

Conceived by the award-winning architect David Sheppard, developer 10M partnered with BPN Architects to realise this one of a kind project, with Cream & Black Interior Design offering the final finesse.

Described by the developer, Russell Townsend as a “Marmite façade” Hedge House demonstrates that design is forever subjective with a love-hate divide ever present. Despite it’s gargantuan size, Hedge House blends beautifully into surrounding environment.  The impressive 10,450 sq ft home sits on 6.5 acres of land. Stretching 55 metres long and sitting 10m tall, the simplest example of size is that Hedge House could house 5 double decker buses.

Russell also comments that “For the interior, we wanted to pack a punch. The 10m atrium, 4.5m ceiling and 50m long corridor achieves this – it’s big old fella.”

A sensual, almost sacred atmosphere created by the purity of line, geometry and simplicity of space.

Davis Sheppard

Architectural Designer of Hedge House

The Design

The design alludes to the Bauhaus’ eschewing of ornamentation, yet the raw materials act as decoration themselves. With Industrialism in mind when choosing materials, there are many aspects of a refined rawness that give an understated-yet-luxurious finish. In contrast to an austere ambience seen from many Industrialism designs, Hedge House feels welcoming; not only from the 3m front doors, but thanks to the blanket of biophilia shrouding the building itself in the form of a rooftop garden. The central atrium also floods natural light throughout the property, which is proven to be a natural mood-booster.

The elegant wall cladding is mirrored in and out. Inspired by the agricultural brick and timber barns common in the area, the sequential alternation between locally sourced brick and wood creates a repetitive linear effect – who knew brick work could be so beguiling? The tall and narrow windows – which fall into the same pattern so as not to disturb the rhythm – create novel slithers of light across the polished concrete floors –  which are contemporised with the luxury of underfloor heating catering to the cooler months of the English climate.

As expected the house has all the modern amenities of a hotel, complete with an indoor sauna and spa-like sunken hot tub – which is serviced by the air source heat pump and hidden solar panels, for eco-friendly relaxation.

01 Hedge House, Master Bathroom
02 Hedge House, Landing Space
03 Hedge House, Staircase
04 Hedge House, Kitchen
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01 Hedge House, Master Bathroom

Spa-Style Bathrooms

As a five-bed, five-bathroom home, a house of this calibre has not one master bathroom but two – one accessible from the bedroom and the other adjoining the dressing room. The 6ft x 6ft shower features the elegant, luxurious Zanzibar brushed brass finish from Bagnodesign. Zanzibar Ibiza brassware features in this room only in an effort to make it “feel special” to the home owner. The warmth of Zanzibar brassware creates contrast against the imperiale marble effect tiles and softens the exposed wood and brick of the walls.

The showpiece in the bathroom from the dressing room is a Bagnotec Matt White bathtub with a tactile inviting texture, adding another layer of luxury against the statuario marble effect tiles – which coordinate wonderfully to the Brushed Nickel brassware. Guest bathrooms also feature the same decadent yet minimalist opulence of Brushed Nickel with marble. The Ibiza range of brassware with Koy round shower heads feature throughout the property for continuity – the variations in design are through colour choice of both brassware and marble.

In the downstairs WC and the gym – which is naturally adjacent to the sauna – a black-on-black theme was used. This helps to create a decadent air, for a lasting impression to guests and a hotel-feel for homeowner. Russell, MD of 10M, advises that the design followed this intent as “gone are the days of saunas with poorly tiled swimming-bath vibes, a spa-at-home design trend is in demand with homeowners wanting to feel like they are in a luxury hotel.”

01 Hedge House, Master Bathroom 2
02 Hedge House, Ensuite Bathroom
03 Hedge House, WC
04 Hedge House Gym Shower
05 Hedge House, Master Bathroom
06 Hedge House, Master Bathroom 2
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Proof of Architectural Significance

Proposed by The Daily Mail news outlet as ‘the coolest house in Britain’ Hedge House has been described as ‘one of the bravest homes to come onto the market which could set records.’ Yet it is not merely thanks to opinion and speculation that this development is being see as second-to-none. As a development of architectural significance in a rural area, Hedge House was awarded Paragraph 55 planning permission. Since 1997 just 60 houses in the UK have attained this planning permission.

In one aspect, ‘Para 55’ (perviously known as Paragraph 79) seems to simply prevent building new houses on protected land; however, to attain permission is an incredible accolade due to an 58%, with stringent yet somewhat mysterious requirements. Architects Journal details that schemes should only be approved if they are of ‘exceptional quality’, ‘outstanding’ and ‘innovative’ as well as the need to ‘significantly enhance its immediate setting and landscape’.  Or more specifically; ‘should be truly outstanding and ground-breaking… in it’s use of materials, methods of construction or it’s contribution to protecting and enhancing the environment, so helping to raise standards of design more generally in rural areas.’

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