readers’ homes
DESIGNED FOR LIVING
Rhodri and Meinir Jones took a DIY approach to transforming their tiny one-bedroom barn conversion into a light-filled family home
WORDS ALEXAN DRA PRATT
Extensive glazing from Velfac provides almost every room with a pretty garden view
PHOTOS PETE HELME
W hen Rhodri and Meinir Jones moved from west Wales to Wiltshire for Meinir’s teaching career, they lived in a small, rented property. Over the years that followed, they built a new business and a new life, as well as starting family. After a decade living in the area, they purchased their rental home – which they have transformed into a smart and practical family house that’s filled with light and has a strong connection to the garden.
Originally converted in the 1960s, the stone-built barn was damp, cramped and dark, thanks to a huge willow. After a storm brought down the tree – miraculously missing the barn – the landlord asked Rhodri and Meinir if they wanted to buy the property. “It is south facing, set in a walled garden, very private and was in our price range,” recalls Rhodri. “We’d have been mad not to say yes.”
Crafting the plans
As an architectural designer, Rhodri was perfectly suited to the challenge of renovating and extending the property. He and Meinir, the owners of Elements Studio, went through 30 iterations of the design over the next four years, honing and reflecting on their requirements. “We had so many ideas to condense down,” he says. “Then we had to match these with the physical possibilities, planning rules and our budget. It was a long process, but it was very important.”
The couple’s design ethos is that small buildings need to be coordinated and calm, plus they are huge fans of Scandi design principles. The modest garden space was integral to scheme. The property is located on the edge of a small village with surrounding dwellings, but the garden is private, and the barn faces over it. “Landscape design was critical to the development,” says Rhodri. “I completed the garden plan before I did the internal drawings, and all the rooms connect to this outside space.”