Selencky Parsons builds South Downs home that looks like three cottages

London studio Selencky Parsons has completed Bulls Barn, a family home in the south of England that looks like a cluster of small buildings.

Located in the South Downs National Park, the house was designed to resemble a trio of cottages, with walls that combine terracotta-toned clay tiles with raw flint.

By dividing up the building volume, Selencky Parsons was able to make the house feel cosy and intimate despite its 540-square-metre size.

The aim was to create a practical home for the owners – a couple with grown-up children – while also making it easy for the extended family to frequently come and stay.

"The broken-down massing is also designed to allow the house to nestle comfortably into its landscape setting amongst the existing mature trees on the site," said architect and studio co-founder David Parsons.

"From the surrounding fields, the house is viewed more as a collection of smaller structures with varying roof orientations set within the trees, rather than one overbearing large house," he told Dezeen.

There is a clear distinction between the upper and lower volumes of the three-storey property, highlighted by the change in materials.

The clay-tile-clad upper volumes are more clearly split into three blocks, each with a gabled roof. One functions as a self-contained two-bedroom flat, while a further six bedrooms are distributed across the other two.

The ground-floor layout is more fluid. The flint walls are interspersed with large expanses of glazing, creating a more flexible arrangement of communal family rooms.

The architects chose flint because it is readily available in this part of the country.

"Flint has traditionally been used to build walls for centuries," said Parsons. "Farmers remove flint from the surrounding fields, so it is essentially a waste product."

"It also provides an ideal textured backdrop to the landscape planting that surrounds the house," he added.

The most striking use of flint is on two chimney breasts. These extend up alongside two of the three gabled blocks, providing a fireplace for the living room and another in between the dining room and snug.

"Chimneys are traditionally made from stone, but using flint for the fireplaces gave the opportunity to bring that beautiful rural texture into the interior in a controlled way," said Parsons.

"It's a bold statement that helps to define the living spaces and bring character."

The rest of the interior is more neutral, with stone floors connecting the ground-floor rooms with patio terraces, and timber flooring and joinery offering moments of warmth.

"You are constantly aware of the fantastic views to the South Downs, which vary in scale from the large glazed expanse of the entrance atrium, to the long landscape window seat in the kitchen or to a simple window opening in a guest bedroom," added Parsons.

"These views are drawn into the interior and provide a continual presence throughout the house."

The building replaces a 1960s house that was deemed unworthy of renovation.

The new structure was designed to be carbon-neutral in its use, with solar panels, rainwater harvesting, triple glazing and a ground source heat pump all included in the scheme.

Parsons sees the project as a good example of how homes can be designed for varied occupation. Other examples in the studio's portfolio include Bravura House and The Coach House.

"Despite its large overall size, the house does feel homely and sensitively scaled as you move through its sequence of interior spaces," he added.

The photography is by French + Tye.

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