Fair House
Winchester, Hampshire
Fair House replaced an existing dwelling, retaining its position within the site while allowing the new design to evolve from first principles. The client sought a house with a traditional form and a palette of natural materials that felt rooted in Hampshire, while responding to contemporary patterns of living.
The principal living spaces are arranged around the path of the sun, allowing the character of the house to change as natural light moves through it during the day. Strong visual connections between the principal rooms encourage interaction while allowing daylight to penetrate deep into the centre of the plan. At the heart of the house, perforated terracotta screens filter sunlight into the circulation spaces, creating shifting patterns of dappled light that animate the interior and bring a constantly changing quality to everyday life.
Managing privacy was equally important. Three of the four principal gables are deliberately free of windows to prevent overlooking. Variations in brick bond, carefully detailed flint panels and perforated terracotta screens give these blank elevations texture and architectural character. This balance between richness and restraint extends throughout the house, where the client's enthusiasm for natural materials is carefully balanced through a restrained palette and disciplined detailing, creating a building that feels both layered and composed.
Although expressed through traditional forms and materials, Fair House is fundamentally contemporary in the way it responds to its site and the way it is lived in. Its character is defined not by architectural gestures, but by proportion, natural light, carefully considered detailing and the thoughtful resolution of a series of fundamental design challenges, creating a home that feels both timeless and unmistakably of its place.
