This Grade II listed barn has been carefully adapted to create a dedicated wellness and leisure space for family use. The project restores the building’s original character while introducing a high-performing, contemporary interior suited to year-round occupation.
The historic oak structure has been repaired and left exposed, reinstating the barn’s original sense of volume and providing a strong architectural backdrop to the gym space. Breathable insulation and discreet building upgrades significantly improve thermal performance while protecting the integrity of the listed fabric.
As a Grade II listed building, the barn required both planning permission and listed building consent. The design approach was carefully considered, respecting and preserving the historic fabric while allowing the building to adapt to contemporary use. Original timbers and detailing were retained and integrated into the new scheme, ensuring the character of the barn remained intact.
Planning consent was secured for a modest rear extension, a key element of the proposal. This provides a dedicated entrance to the pool, allowing direct access to the changing facilities without passing through the gym or principal living spaces. A self-contained kitchen was also incorporated, improving functionality while remaining discreet within the overall design.
Our clients wanted to transform a previously uninsulated and damp barn on their Oxfordshire property into an inspiring and functional contemporary home gym with adjoining entertaining space the family could use all year round.
The design restores the original charm and height of the barn and the stunning oak timbers, while complementing and softening the aesthetic through the introduction of more natural light, textures, and contemporary colours on walls, the oak timber flooring, panelling and joinery. In addition the renovation improved the barn’s energy efficiency using breathable insulation.
Full-height Crittall-style doors were chosen as a partition that allows the light to flood through. The contemporary home gym has a generous space for equipment and free-standing activity, with new apertures and floor-to-ceiling glazing introduced to overlook the pool and the fantastic countryside vistas, visible when using each piece of gym kit.
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Country Homes & Estates
Leisure & Lifestyle
Architecture
Oxfordshire
Delivered
Barr Build