Before and After: Abandoned Farm to Rustic Dream Home

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Rehabilitación de molino en Requeixo, b+t arquitectos b+t arquitectos Country style bedroom
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With the best will in the world there must be times when people take on restoration projects that simply make them feel like they have bitten off more than they can chew. When nothing goes right or the bare bones of a building seem past saving, how do you buoy yourself up to carry on with the project? By having a clear vision of where you want to end up!

The project we are looking at today is utterly breathtaking, both in finished result and determination to get there. From barely a usable shell to a dream home with a rustic flair and a happy acceptance of original materials, we are in love with the tranquillity of the newly created home and think that you will be too!

Before: Barely a starting point

When this is your starting point for a home build you'd be forgiven for getting a little nervous or feeling out of your depth. There is so little to work with here that it's a wonder that the old building wasn't simply torn down and replaced, as is so often the fashion these days.

Fortunately, B+T Architects weren't afraid of a challenge and, having seen this clearly once agricultural farm building in all of its original glory, they went away and came up with a design that would prove to be the perfect combination of old and new, with a lot of respect thrown in too.

After: Fabulous façade

We shouldn't be able to recognise the original building here, should we? The transformation has been so dramatic that being able to tell what this building once was should be impossible but there it is and we can identify the starting point. That's what we love about this design team; their unwavering dedication to restoring and improving, not overshadowing.

Having raised the roof height and restored the heritage brick work, as well as adding to it, this home has an old world feel about it, with modern convenience attached. Oh, and it's beautiful!

Before: Original features

Forgive the cheeky title attributed to this picture but as far as original features go, a mill is pretty up there. We feel confident it wasn't kept and reinstated in the new incarnation of the house though. What is interesting to see here is just how functional the space is, with no concern for aesthetic appeal, as this will have undoubtedly changed dramatically during the modernisation process.

Sometimes it's a shame when properties are modernised to a big extent as they lose some of the character but we're sure B+T didn't let that happen here.

After: Blown away

It's perfectly acceptable to do a double take and fall head over heels in love with this master bedroom as that's exactly what we did. We couldn't possibly have guessed it would look this amazing and if we had, we would have kept it a secret and tried to snap it up for ourselves!

What should we talk about first? The stunning natural wood ceiling? Or maybe the inclusion of original wall sections throughout the space? The juxtaposition of very old materials with stark, crisp modern building techniques and styles is a fascinating one and we need to see more.

After: Heritage touches

Everywhere you look in this house you are met by modern convenience, elegant high-end styling and then, a little burst of the old structure that comes blasting through to remind you that this was once a very different building. We love the audaciousness of that.

Maintaining pieces of the original walls really helps to temper the transition from old to new for the building and, while some might think the contrast is too sharp, we think it works beautifully. A sleek black countertop, with natural wood adjacent and then a rustic door frame? That's our idea of project heaven!

After: A little bit of history

We don't think we would be able to resist the urge to include a picture of what the structure used to look like somewhere in this gorgeous home but the large expanses of original wall are fulfilling that function rather eloquently too.

Taking the time to restore, repoint and mimic the brick work must have been painstaking but the result is a house that maintains character appeal from the outside and offers modernity with a sheath of history draped over it on the inside. We love this home and think it is going to inspire many more like it. Now then… where can we find disused farm buildings?

For more rustic inspiration, take a look at this Ideabook: A Rustic Barn Becomes A Modern Delight. You won't believe the interior in this home!

Are you hopelessly in love with this house? How would you have decorated it? We love hearing your ideas so leave us a comment!

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