ASPIREDESIGNAND H O M E . C O M 45 I n t e r i o r b r i d g e s c o n n e c t i n g o n e s e c t i o n o f a h o m e t o a n o t h e r i m p r o v e t h e f l o w w h i l e a d d i n g a d i s t i n c t i v e a r c h i t e c t u r a l e l e m e n t TEXT GWEN DONOVAN PHOTOGRAPHY FRENCH & T YE ARCHITECTURE FORGEWORKS Specializing in modern residential design, Forgeworks is an architectural studio based in London and Wiltshire, England, founded by Chris Hawkins. The firm’s recent project in the Mendip Hills of Somerset cleverly linked a 19th-century farmhouse to an existing period barn. The resulting glassed-in passageway provides a visually light touch positioned between the substantial, original structures. Affectionally called A House of Blue Lias, the property’s colorful name is a nod to the locally quarried stone used in both the past and present construction. Hawkins explains how this innovative project turned the two halves into a whole. How did you balance the look of the two original structures with this modernist link? We took a deliberately restrained approach. The link is contemporary in form but built with the same local blue lias stone as the farmhouse and barn. The internal structure expresses a similar sense of rhythm and material clarity. It’s deliberately deferential, but with its own quiet confidence. S O M E R S E T , U.K. Is the barn also usable space now? Yes, the barn was fully retrofitted and reorganized. It now contains bedrooms, bathrooms, a study, a playroom and a garage space for the owner’s vintage cars. The structure was kept, but the layout and performance are entirely new. What do the owners now say about living in their home? It’s a completely different experience. What was once fragmented now feels calm and coherent. The family naturally gravitates to the central space, and the improved insulation and energy systems have made the entire house more comfortable and efficient. B e f o r e A f t e r A H o u s e o f B l u e L i a s [THRESHOLDS]