Four eco-friendly homes with real style and character
Living in an eco-friendly home needn't mean suffering in a characterless box. Carla Passino picks out four homes across the country which offer vibrant homes that will do their bit to help the environment.


Worcestershire – £1.095 million
Wycheway House (also pictured at the top of the page) won an award for building excellence, and deservedly so. Rebuilt in 2006, it is extremely well insulated and comes with an air-source heat pump, heat-recovery system, underfloor heating, solar panels and photovoltaic panels, as well as a rainwater-harvesting system.
Even more than green living, the greatest draw at this architect-designed house must be the views. Perched at nearly 1,000ft on the Malvern Hills, it looks out across seven counties, from the Black Mountains in Wales to Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds.
For sale via Knight Frank. See more pictures and details about this property.
Surrey – £1,395,000
This four-bedroom newly-built conversion is quietly tucked away off Wonersh Common, a short distance from Guildford town centre, offering a touch of country charm with swish modern fittings and sound green credentials.
There's a ground-source heat pump to provide warmth in an eco-friendly way, powering underfloor heating that has zoned digital thermostats.
For sale via Clarke Gammon Wellers. See more pictures and details about this property.
Cumbria – £745,950
Sustainability is the byword at eggHomes, a collection of 19 houses in Viver Green, Cumbria – and particularly so at The Tyan, one of the development’s properties and a finalist at last year’s British Home Awards.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
This five-bedroom house combines locally sourced materials with eco-friendly technology, including automatic bathroom lighting, underfloor heating and air-source heat pumps.
For sale via eggHomes – 01539 760577
Anywhere you like – £500,000
Designed by architectural well-being firm Ekkist, in association with RIBA Award winners Studio McLeod, the Ori House turns the concept of Green living on its head. Rather than focusing primarily on the environment, it puts health at its heart with a choice of non-toxic building materials and features that enhance well-being.
The Ori is a self-build house, so the location is entirely up to the buyer.
For sale via Ekkist. See more pictures and details about this property.
Credit: Wickhams, Sussex
A country house in Sussex that comes close to offering true self-sufficiency
We tend to think of country houses as beautiful places, not eco-friendly homes which could set the blueprint for the
Top 5 luxury eco developments
Dotted around some of the globe’s most glorious destinations are some eco-resorts that are leading the way in responsible development;
Carla must be the only Italian that finds the English weather more congenial than her native country’s sunshine. An antique herself, she became Country Life’s Arts & Antiques editor in 2023 having previously covered, as a freelance journalist, heritage, conservation, history and property stories, for which she won a couple of awards. Her musical taste has never evolved past Puccini and she spends most of her time immersed in any century before the 20th.
-
Ford Focus ST: So long, and thanks for all the fun
From November, the Ford Focus will be no more. We say goodbye to the ultimate boy racer.
By Matthew MacConnell Published
-
‘If Portmeirion began life as an oddity, it has evolved into something of a phenomenon’: Celebrating a century of Britain’s most eccentric village
A romantic experiment surrounded by the natural majesty of North Wales, Portmeirion began life as an oddity, but has evolved into an architectural phenomenon kept alive by dedication.
By Ben Lerwill Published
-
A mini estate in Kent that's so lovely it once featured in Simon Schama's 'History of Britain'
The Paper Mill estate is a picture-postcard in the Garden of England.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
Hidden excellence in a £7.5 million north London home
Behind the traditional façades of Provost Road, you will find something very special.
By James Fisher Published
-
Sip tea and laugh at your neighbours in this seaside Norfolk home with a watchtower
On Cliff Hill in Gorleston, one home is taller than all the others. It could be yours.
By James Fisher Published
-
A Grecian masterpiece that might be one of the nation's finest homes comes up for sale in Kent
Grade I-listed Holwood House sits in 40 acres of private parkland just 15 miles from central London. It is spectacular.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
Some of the finest landscapes in the North of England with a 12-bedroom home attached
Upper House in Derbyshire shows why the Kinder landscape was worth fighting for.
By James Fisher Published
-
Could Gruber's Antiques from Paddington 2 be your new Notting Hill home?
It was the home of Mr Gruber and his antiques in the film, but in the real world, Alice's Antiques could be yours.
By James Fisher Published
-
What should 1.5 million new homes look like?
The King's recent visit to Nansledan with the Prime Minister gives us a clue as to Labour's plans, but what are the benefits of traditional architecture? And can they solve a housing crisis?
By Lucy Denton Published
-
Welcome to the modern party barn, where disco balls are 'non-negotiable'
A party barn is the ultimate good-time utopia, devoid of the toil of a home gym or the practicalities of a home office. Modern efforts are a world away from the draughty, hay-bales-and-a-hi-fi set-up of yesteryear.
By Madeleine Silver Published