Reinventing a farmstead with oak Bruton, Somerset

The Poolhouse

A calm, structural presence

The indoor poolhouse forms part of the estate’s spa and wellness offering; a tranquil, light-filled retreat framed by hamstone walls, red brick pillars and generous glazing overlooking the courtyard.

Here, we supplied European Oak for the principal structural beams and ceiling sarking boards. The beams provide both strength and sculptural clarity, while the sarking boards introduce warmth and texture overhead. In a building dedicated to relaxation, the oak anchors the space, bringing a natural softness that balances the masonry and glass.

The material choice reflects the estate’s wider language: authentic, robust and designed to mature gracefully over time.

The Grain Store

A bespoke oak envelope

One of several distinctive guest accommodations within The Farmyard, The Grain Store required something entirely unique.

For this building, we designed and manufactured bespoke up-and-over slatted oak cladding that wraps continuously across both walls and roof, effectively encasing the entire structure in timber. The system was conceived specifically for this building, creating a seamless envelope that blurs the distinction between façade and roofline.

The slatted form references agricultural drying barns and grain stores, yet its execution is crisp and contemporary. By using oak as a unifying skin, the building retains its rural identity while presenting a striking architectural statement.

Inside, guests experience calm, elegant rooms with original features and pastoral views, while the oak exterior quietly reinforces the building’s sense of shelter and craft.

A unified material language

Across The Farmyard, oak serves different purposes – from structural frames, to interior linings, to feature cladding – yet the material consistently reinforces the same architectural principles:-

• Respect for agricultural heritage
• Celebration of craftsmanship
• Honest expression of structure
• A seamless relationship between building and landscape

Rather than seeking simple replication, the vision for The Farmyard was one of reinvention – combining skilled restoration with carefully judged contemporary interventions to create spaces that are grounded in history yet wholly suited to modern hospitality.

Through the thoughtful specification of high-quality European Oak across multiple buildings, the design achieves a quiet cohesion: each space distinct in purpose and atmosphere, yet unified by a shared material integrity. In doing so, the project demonstrates how well-detailed timber can move beyond complementing architecture to actively defining it, perfectly balancing performance with beauty, and robustness with refinement.