MWE have worked closely with the client to create a dwelling inspired by the Arts and Crafts period, particularly the vernacular houses of Frank Lloyd Wright. The site, on sloping ground to the north of Glanton, has informed a massing that is predominantly single storey, extending horizontally from the hillside. Low-pitched roofs with deep eaves overhangs reinforce this horizontality, while a series of strong vertical elements—chimneys and foils—anchor the building and respond to the topography by rooting it into the landscape.

The design of the house responds first and foremost to its setting and its proximity to the conservation area. Rather than replicating the historic buildings of the village, the architecture balances a clear contemporary identity with references to the vernacular tradition.

The site’s topography plays a central role in the approach. Positioned on the edge of the settlement, partially elevated from the village and set back from the road, the dwelling minimises its impact in views from the public realm. The less constrained character of the site compared with the historic core allows for a horizontal form that derives from the landscape context, while the appearance draws on the conservation area for its materiality.

A carefully selected palette of traditional local materials underpins the design. The plinth and vertical elements are proposed in locally sourced stone, laid in rough-hewn blocks of varied sizes with horizontal coursing and recessed mortar to evoke the dry stone walling characteristic of the area. Above a simple stone string course, the elevations extend in more refined materials: off-white harl-type render and limited use of zinc cladding around areas of fenestration. The roofscape, finished in slate with lead hips and ridge details, reinforces the horizontal composition. Smaller areas of flat roof, finished in zinc standing-seam cladding, introduce variety but remain subservient to the pitched forms, which reference the traditional roofscape of the village.