A Historic Revival: Artist Jobe Burns Transforms a 300-Year-Old Farmhouse in Southwest England"

The renovation of a 300-year-old farmhouse in southwest England by artist and spatial designer Jobe Burns represents an ambitious and deeply thoughtful exploration of rural heritage. Originally neglected after decades of poor-quality modifications, the house has now been reimagined into a comfortable, highly personal family home. Burns, who had only recently graduated from Chelsea School of Art in 2019, was invited by the client to bring fresh eyes to the structure. What began as a conversation about interiors evolved into a holistic architectural transformation. This project demonstrates how sensitive restoration can integrate architecture, craft, and memory, creating spaces that connect past traditions with contemporary living. Central to the design was the ambition to preserve the farmhouse’s authenticity: lime-washed walls, oak beams, and reclaimed elements were balanced with bold color palettes and contemporary interventions. The result is not a polished modern house but rather an immersive environment, one that acknowledges the identity of the building, its rural setting, and its long story. With an extensive timeline stretching to nearly five years due to structural challenges and extensions, the renovation exemplifies how patience, detail, and critical design thinking can shape enduring architecture that carries the weight of history into the future.

Project Vision and Lifestyle

The client’s vision was centered on creating a retreat that embraced simplicity, tactility, and slowness. Unlike homes filled with automation and digital systems, this farmhouse was designed as a counterpoint to the modern pace of life. Mechanical switches, natural finishes, and unpolished textures define the environment. Burns emphasized that the brief was less about achieving a polished luxury image and more about cultivating a sense of ease and rootedness. Every element, from restored wooden doors to salvaged stained-glass windows, contributes to this ethos. The interior layout prioritizes relaxation and intimate family living, favoring authentic details over standard contemporary upgrades.

Spatial Reorganization

The original building suffered from dark, cramped spaces, the legacy of incremental and poor-quality renovations. Burns restructured the floor plan to create brighter and more functional rooms. Ceilings were removed to reveal original beams, and the ground floor was opened up to allow light to circulate more freely. The six-bedroom plan was reduced to four, offering larger, better-balanced rooms. One of these included a redesigned principal suite complete with a walk-in wardrobe and a new bathroom. Perhaps most notably, the renovation revealed a hidden cellar beneath an old cupboard, a discovery that expanded the usable footprint and added further narrative layers to the building.

Original Layout	Transformed Layout
Six bedrooms, dark cramped rooms	Four bedrooms, open-plan living spaces
Low ceilings with coverings	Exposed beams and double-height areas
Unused cellar, concealed	Restored cellar with functional spaces
Disconnected circulation	Improved flow with open connections

Materials and Historic Details

Burns paid close attention to the material culture of the building. Original oak doors, wooden floors, and hand-hewn beams were retained wherever possible. New elements were deliberately crafted to appear aged, integrating into the house’s historical vocabulary. Lime-washed walls, exposed stone, and polished plaster create tactile backdrops that emphasize material authenticity. The integration of salvaged stained-glass windows introduced moments of visual richness, while tiles reclaimed from the roof were repurposed into fireplace bases. Fallen trees from the garden were converted into tables and shelving, linking the house to its immediate landscape.

Rooms and Key Features

Room	Key Features
Kitchen & Dining	Neutral tones, natural textures, salvaged stained-glass openings
Principal Bedroom	Walk-in wardrobe, oak details, calm natural finishes
Bathroom	Terracotta render, tactile finishes, handcrafted detailing
Living Room	Murano chandelier, piano, exposed beams
Children’s Rooms	Layered textures, playful finishes, soft lighting

Design Details and Color Palette

Color was treated as both a design strategy and a reflection of identity. Inspired by the client’s travels and Burns’s artistic practice, bold hues were carefully introduced to complement the tactile textures. Pale blues, saturated terracottas, and strong blacks were distributed across spaces to create contrasts between intimate and social zones. This balance ensured the farmhouse avoided monotony, offering a layered spatial experience.

Space	Color/Finish
Bathroom	Terracotta tones, tactile surfaces
Bedroom	Pale blue, gauzy curtains
Living Room	Neutral base with bold Murano glass chandelier
Hallways	Lime-washed walls, natural stone

Craftsmanship and Collaboration

Burns worked with a skilled local team of contractors specializing in traditional methods. Their expertise with lime mortars, timber joinery, and regional techniques allowed the project to retain a historic sensibility. The collaboration ensured that details such as mortar color, wall curves, and window reveals were executed with a sensitivity that modern construction often overlooks. This dialogue between contemporary design intentions and traditional craft produced a home that resonates with authenticity and regional identity.

Architectural Analysis

Architecturally, the project demonstrates a careful balance between preservation and innovation. By exposing beams and repurposing salvaged materials, Burns reinforced the farmhouse’s vernacular character. The design logic was rooted in historical honesty: new interventions were not about imitation but about extending the building’s narrative. Materially, the mix of lime, oak, terracotta, and glass situates the project within a tactile and authentic palette. Contextually, the farmhouse is understood not as an isolated building but as part of a rural lineage, its materials and methods aligned with local traditions. Critically, the project raises important questions: does intentionally “aging” new elements risk blurring historical authenticity? Or does it represent a valid contemporary strategy for integrating old and new? Such reflections highlight the project’s architectural depth.

Project Importance

This renovation offers key insights for architects and designers. First, it emphasizes the importance of patience and long-term vision in restoration projects. Second, it illustrates how material reuse and salvaging can generate authentic architectural character without unnecessary ornamentation. Third, it contributes to typological discussions on the rural farmhouse: how such homes can be adapted for contemporary life without losing their identity. In a time when sustainability and cultural continuity are critical, this project demonstrates that thoughtful renovations can embody both environmental responsibility and heritage preservation. For the field of architectural research, it provides a strong case study on how history and modernity can co-exist through spatial design.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

This project achieves a careful layering of historical preservation and modern expression. The tactile finishes, salvaged stained glass, and lime-washed walls provide visual richness while respecting rural identity. At the same time, the deliberate “aging” of new elements prompts reflection on whether this approach strengthens authenticity or risks creating a staged sense of history. Yet, this critical tension is productive, asking architects to think carefully about preservation strategies. Ultimately, the farmhouse demonstrates how adaptive reuse can create meaningful environments rooted in both past and present, suggesting a valuable direction for rural architectural design.

Conclusion

The 300-year-old farmhouse redesigned by Jobe Burns is more than a residential transformation; it is a meditation on heritage, material culture, and architectural responsibility. By stripping away layers of poorly executed renovations, Burns uncovered the authentic spirit of the building and infused it with new vitality. The use of tactile materials, salvaged elements, and vibrant colors produces a home that is both deeply personal and architecturally resonant. For contemporary practice, the project is a reminder that slowing down, embracing imperfection, and working with historical continuity can yield more meaningful results than simply applying modern design tropes. This farmhouse invites architects and designers to reflect on how the lessons of the past can shape future spaces. It embodies a vision where architecture is not only about form and function but also about memory, identity, and the continuity of cultural narratives across generations.

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