A historic, listed English barn transformed into an architect-designed home
The architects at McLaren.Excell have transformed a former English barn into a contemporary home in Oxfordshire
Hunts Green Barn, in Oxfordshire, is a historic English barn that has been transformed into a contemporary home by the London-based firm McLaren.Excell. It consists of two listed buildings, originally constructed in the 16th century and extended in the 18th century. It won the British Homes Awards “Home Transformation of the Year” in 2022 and made the front page of the Financial Times.
The magnificent solid oak framework remains visible throughout the spaces. It serves as a constant reminder of what the building once was. Architects Luke McLaren and Robert Excell, who founded their firm in 2011, chose not to hide anything and to leave this historic framework exposed. They revealed the raw material and worked with it rather than against it.
You enter this English barn through a steel door, simple and unadorned. The poured concrete floor stretches beneath your feet, while the walls and ceilings are clad in wood. A separate coatroom awaits visitors returning from the fields, featuring very practical built-in storage.
This first space already conveys the essence of the home, using simple, contemporary materials that transform the entire perception of the space. We are in an old English barn, yet in a contemporary setting. This hallway gradually leads to the spacious living area. The house reveals itself slowly...
Its open living room is the beating heart of the project. The old timber frame rises toward the ridge, while triple-glazed windows frame the lush Oxfordshire countryside on three sides. The barn finally breathes, as the architects at McLaren.Excell themselves wrote about the project. This result is striking because you feel both inside and outside, protected yet connected to the landscape.
The steel with its bluish sheen serves as a subtle counterpoint to the exposed beams. It forms the shelves, frames the monumental steel-and-concrete fireplace, and clad the built-in storage. This choice of material is one of the most successful aspects of the whole, dark enough to recede in the presence of the wood, yet prominent enough to pay homage to our era. A fireplace occupies an entire section of the wall, it can be described as a piece of furniture as much as a fixture.
The kitchen is located at the other end of the space. It is practical and functional, no expense was spared on either materials or equipment. Its countertops are made of Reito Grigio granite, and its appliances are top-of-the-line. It also features XAL modular lighting controlled by a Rako system, and Control4 home automation is installed throughout the house. Luxury is present but in a discreet way.
Its central island, crafted from dark stone, serves as a focal point between the dining and kitchen areas, with its open niches displaying the tableware. A utility kitchen completes the layout with its pantry, ensuring the main living space remains spotless during entertaining. For this is a home where hosting guests comes naturally.
The long, generous dining table made of raw wood offers a pleasant simplicity, perfectly in tune with the architectural choices. Furnishings and decor blend light oak wicker chairs, dark brown leather armchairs, and a faded Persian rug. These are choices made from the heart, found in family heirlooms or at antique dealers.
Accessible from the entryway, the living room occupies the 19th-century section of the house. It is a different kind of room, lower in ceiling height, more intimate. A freestanding wood-burning stove takes center stage, surrounded by weathered leather sofas and coffee tables made of concrete or raw wood. A massive matte steel bookshelf runs the full width of the back wall, framing the television screen. Books spill out, objects pile up without any apparent disorder.
It is here that the decorative approach reveals itself in all its coherence. Neither rustic, nor minimalist, nor industrial. It is a balanced blend of all three at once. We love the paintings placed here and there, and the antique objects casually arranged on the shelves, the unique personality of this home. It’s easy to imagine winter evenings by the fire, with the crackling wood and the hills of Oxfordshire in view.
You descend a few steps to reach the bedroom wing, built in 2021. The architecture of this old English barn changes radically here. Its repeated V-shaped structure creates a regular rhythm. The finishes shift to light wood, polished concrete, and white. You leave the barn style behind to enter something more stripped-down.
The master suite occupies the ground floor, accessible from a fitness room. Its style is decidedly Japanese, featuring a platform bed, built-in wall sconces, and a freestanding bathtub in the adjoining bathroom. The tadelakt walls envelop the room in a soft, waterproof material, with that characteristic sheen that no tile can replicate. A long, low window offers a view of the garden that becomes a painting. A custom walk-in closet completes the suite with its floor-to-ceiling built-in storage.
The other bedrooms, upstairs, are also simply decorated. They feature oak wood, concrete, and understated textiles. Each room opens onto the garden and the surrounding countryside. The shared bathroom features terrazzo tiles.
Landscape architect Sean Walter designed the gardens of this English barn with the same care the architects applied to the interior. It features silver birches, alliums, and tulips. A wall of local flint gabions runs along the perimeter, echoing regional materials. The concrete terrace features tables and benches made of recycled wood, gray teak armchairs with anthracite cushions, and black resin lounge chairs. The garden’s landscape shifts in texture throughout the seasons thanks to a selection of plants chosen for their year-round appeal.
McLaren.Excell’s design approach is bold and, in our view, a complete success. Exposing the old timber frame was a no-brainer, but combining it with steel that has a bluish sheen wouldn’t necessarily have been everyone’s choice. Others might have opted for copper, brass, or dark wood. The matte steel works better because it doesn’t compete with the wood of the beams; it complements them.
The mix of furniture is also worth noting. Scandinavian wicker chairs, vintage brown leather armchairs, a rustic table, a Persian rug, it’s full of personality. This isn’t a cookie-cutter interior. It’s a home that has retained slight imperfections that make it unique.
Perhaps the most successful contrast is in the bedroom wing, as making a sudden shift from the barn-style aesthetic to a minimalist Japanese-inspired design is a radical decision.
Hunts Green Barn is located in Harpsden Bottom, a quiet hamlet a ten-minute drive from Henley-on-Thames. This town is home to independent shops, galleries, an arthouse cinema, cheese shops, and restaurants run by renowned chefs.
The Chilterns National Landscapes offer a landscape of forests, hills, and several National Trust properties. Grey’s Court, a Tudor manor with remarkable gardens, is nearby. For rowing enthusiasts, the Henley Royal Regatta transforms the banks of the Thames into a joyful spectacle every summer.
This home is for sale at The Modern House
The magnificent solid oak framework remains visible throughout the spaces. It serves as a constant reminder of what the building once was. Architects Luke McLaren and Robert Excell, who founded their firm in 2011, chose not to hide anything and to leave this historic framework exposed. They revealed the raw material and worked with it rather than against it.
An entrance that sets the tone
You enter this English barn through a steel door, simple and unadorned. The poured concrete floor stretches beneath your feet, while the walls and ceilings are clad in wood. A separate coatroom awaits visitors returning from the fields, featuring very practical built-in storage.
This first space already conveys the essence of the home, using simple, contemporary materials that transform the entire perception of the space. We are in an old English barn, yet in a contemporary setting. This hallway gradually leads to the spacious living area. The house reveals itself slowly...
The heart of the home is in the living area
Its open living room is the beating heart of the project. The old timber frame rises toward the ridge, while triple-glazed windows frame the lush Oxfordshire countryside on three sides. The barn finally breathes, as the architects at McLaren.Excell themselves wrote about the project. This result is striking because you feel both inside and outside, protected yet connected to the landscape.
The steel with its bluish sheen serves as a subtle counterpoint to the exposed beams. It forms the shelves, frames the monumental steel-and-concrete fireplace, and clad the built-in storage. This choice of material is one of the most successful aspects of the whole, dark enough to recede in the presence of the wood, yet prominent enough to pay homage to our era. A fireplace occupies an entire section of the wall, it can be described as a piece of furniture as much as a fixture.
The open kitchen
The kitchen is located at the other end of the space. It is practical and functional, no expense was spared on either materials or equipment. Its countertops are made of Reito Grigio granite, and its appliances are top-of-the-line. It also features XAL modular lighting controlled by a Rako system, and Control4 home automation is installed throughout the house. Luxury is present but in a discreet way.
Its central island, crafted from dark stone, serves as a focal point between the dining and kitchen areas, with its open niches displaying the tableware. A utility kitchen completes the layout with its pantry, ensuring the main living space remains spotless during entertaining. For this is a home where hosting guests comes naturally.
The long, generous dining table made of raw wood offers a pleasant simplicity, perfectly in tune with the architectural choices. Furnishings and decor blend light oak wicker chairs, dark brown leather armchairs, and a faded Persian rug. These are choices made from the heart, found in family heirlooms or at antique dealers.
The living room is a sanctuary within the sanctuary
Accessible from the entryway, the living room occupies the 19th-century section of the house. It is a different kind of room, lower in ceiling height, more intimate. A freestanding wood-burning stove takes center stage, surrounded by weathered leather sofas and coffee tables made of concrete or raw wood. A massive matte steel bookshelf runs the full width of the back wall, framing the television screen. Books spill out, objects pile up without any apparent disorder.
It is here that the decorative approach reveals itself in all its coherence. Neither rustic, nor minimalist, nor industrial. It is a balanced blend of all three at once. We love the paintings placed here and there, and the antique objects casually arranged on the shelves, the unique personality of this home. It’s easy to imagine winter evenings by the fire, with the crackling wood and the hills of Oxfordshire in view.
The bedrooms in the contemporary wing
You descend a few steps to reach the bedroom wing, built in 2021. The architecture of this old English barn changes radically here. Its repeated V-shaped structure creates a regular rhythm. The finishes shift to light wood, polished concrete, and white. You leave the barn style behind to enter something more stripped-down.
The master suite occupies the ground floor, accessible from a fitness room. Its style is decidedly Japanese, featuring a platform bed, built-in wall sconces, and a freestanding bathtub in the adjoining bathroom. The tadelakt walls envelop the room in a soft, waterproof material, with that characteristic sheen that no tile can replicate. A long, low window offers a view of the garden that becomes a painting. A custom walk-in closet completes the suite with its floor-to-ceiling built-in storage.
The other bedrooms, upstairs, are also simply decorated. They feature oak wood, concrete, and understated textiles. Each room opens onto the garden and the surrounding countryside. The shared bathroom features terrazzo tiles.
The garden
Landscape architect Sean Walter designed the gardens of this English barn with the same care the architects applied to the interior. It features silver birches, alliums, and tulips. A wall of local flint gabions runs along the perimeter, echoing regional materials. The concrete terrace features tables and benches made of recycled wood, gray teak armchairs with anthracite cushions, and black resin lounge chairs. The garden’s landscape shifts in texture throughout the seasons thanks to a selection of plants chosen for their year-round appeal.
Our take on the design choices
McLaren.Excell’s design approach is bold and, in our view, a complete success. Exposing the old timber frame was a no-brainer, but combining it with steel that has a bluish sheen wouldn’t necessarily have been everyone’s choice. Others might have opted for copper, brass, or dark wood. The matte steel works better because it doesn’t compete with the wood of the beams; it complements them.
The mix of furniture is also worth noting. Scandinavian wicker chairs, vintage brown leather armchairs, a rustic table, a Persian rug, it’s full of personality. This isn’t a cookie-cutter interior. It’s a home that has retained slight imperfections that make it unique.
Perhaps the most successful contrast is in the bedroom wing, as making a sudden shift from the barn-style aesthetic to a minimalist Japanese-inspired design is a radical decision.
A bucolic English region
Hunts Green Barn is located in Harpsden Bottom, a quiet hamlet a ten-minute drive from Henley-on-Thames. This town is home to independent shops, galleries, an arthouse cinema, cheese shops, and restaurants run by renowned chefs.
The Chilterns National Landscapes offer a landscape of forests, hills, and several National Trust properties. Grey’s Court, a Tudor manor with remarkable gardens, is nearby. For rowing enthusiasts, the Henley Royal Regatta transforms the banks of the Thames into a joyful spectacle every summer.
This home is for sale at The Modern House
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