Yew Tree Cottage (Change Image)

Yew Tree Cottage: A landscape-led extension that gently reimagines a rural Monmouthshire cottage.

Set within five acres of open countryside in the Monmouthshire National Landscape, Yew Tree Cottage sits quietly among rolling fields, framed by far-reaching views on every side. The project seeks to strengthen the home’s bond with its landscape — introducing new spaces that feel calm, light-filled, and deeply rooted in place. Through subtle gestures and restrained interventions, the design respects the cottage’s rural character while opening it to a more fluid and contemplative way of living.

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Taking cues from the natural level change across the site, the proposal nestles the new single-storey extension into the slope, allowing the green roof to blend seamlessly with the rising field behind. This approach minimises visual impact and draws the eye outward to the expansive western views. Inspired by the clients’ Japanese heritage, the reconfigured ground floor centres around a naturally lit inner courtyard — a quiet heart to the home that connects each ground floor room while maintaining the intimacy and scale of the original cottage. The courtyard introduces moments of stillness and light throughout the day, creating a serene threshold between interior life and the landscape beyond.

Project Detail

The extension is conceived as a simple, well-insulated timber-frame structure, designed for airtightness, longevity, and sensitivity to the National Landscape context. A restrained palette of painted render and timber cladding reflects the existing cottage materials while offering a contemporary refinement. The green roof extends the hillside, grounding the form within the terrain and enhancing biodiversity. Carefully positioned glazing frames specific landscape moments — long views to the west, glimpses toward outbuildings, and softened natural light entering the courtyard. These openings are calibrated to heighten the home’s connection to its surroundings while preserving privacy and the cottage’s rural character. Thoughtful, quiet, and elegantly integrated, the Yew Tree Cottage extension becomes a natural evolution of the home — one that celebrates landscape, light, and the calm clarity of considered design.

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