La Petite Cache
At La Petite Cache we set out to respect the historic character of the property while creating a home that meets the needs of modern family life. Our design strikes a careful balance: sustainable, contemporary, and sympathetic to its unique rural setting.
- Category: residential, heritage
- Awards: Guernsey Design Awards 2024 - Winner Heritage
The brief called for a new kitchen within the redundant barn attached to the main house – a chance to give purpose to a neglected structure. We also saw the opportunity to connect this barn with the run of detached barns to the south, bringing them into domestic use and ensuring they are conserved for the foreseeable future.
The north gable of the detached barn, built in striking pink granite, held some of the site’s most distinctive features: a flight of external steps and a series of small window openings. Rather than obscure them, the new link was designed to frame and celebrate these elements, making them central to the character of the finished building.
A new opening in the south wall of the attached barn introduced light without major structural work, while transforming an awkwardly shaped void between the barns into valuable family space with covered access to the detached barns. Throughout the project, salvaged materials were reused wherever possible to reinforce authenticity and reduce environmental impact.
The link extension is deliberately contemporary. It avoids imitation, instead drawing inspiration from agricultural forms – with timber boarding and a metal-clad roof – creating a modern addition that sits comfortably within its historic surroundings.
