An extraordinarily shaped, 'revolutionary' eco-house has been sold, in a Cotswold nature reserve, for £7.2m The 'Orchid House', which has yet to be built, is part of the Lower Mill Estate development and has been designed by Sarah Featherstone, a London-based architects firm. The house, which is perched on the side of a lake, takes a pod-like, petalled shape made of sweeping curves, inspired by the contours of the rare Bee Orchid. A private spa and artist's studio will be built within the grounds of the house, both of which will take environmentally sensitive shapes. The whole build is expected to take 3 years. Jeremy Paxton, the developer, is described as a 'passionate environmentalist and supporter of modernist architecture'. His vision is to see fifteen individual houses to be built on the estate by architects including Will Alsop, Richard Meier and Pierre d'Avoine. * Country houses for sale in Gloucestershire
-
Dawn Chorus: The world's highest property has a fittingly sky-high priceOur daily round-up of news includes a flat that's 2,500 ft above the ground, our stop-you-in-your-tracks picture of the day, a chance to see two of Country Life's best-loved experts, and news about our Quiz of the Day.
-
Brockfield Hall, the great Yorkshire house that's gone from Regency mansion to modern family homeBrockfield Hall in North Yorkshire is the family home of Charlie Wood and Hatta Byng, editor of House & Garden, who have transformed it since they came here in 2020, winning multiple awards in the process. John Martin Robinson reports on the restoration project that revived this compact Regency house as a modern family home. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
