A converted Dutch barn by Turner Works comes to market in the Cotswolds

Turner Works designed this striking Dutch barn, which sits within 14 acres of rewilded countryside near Stratford-upon-Avon.

The Cotswolds barn was converted by the practice, led by architect Carl Turner, in 2020 into a seven-bedroom holiday home for Laura and David Johnston, founder of the London design studio Accept & Proceed. Their brief was for an adaptable retreat that combines industrial and utilitarian agricultural architecture with modern minimalism.

Known as DUT18, the 23-metre-long volume is clad in matt black corrugated steel and crowned by a curved roof, creating the impression of a seamless, singular facade when viewed from a distance.

Its bright interiors are an immediate contrast to the building’s brooding facade – a light-filled atrium connects the free-flowing ground floor, which is zoned for a progression of uses: cooking, dining and relaxing, with a yoga space and home cinema.

Of particular note is the double-height living room at the South end of the plan, which has a towering chimney and two-storey glazing, as well as an upper-floor balcony from which to enjoy views over the space. The barn’s original openings – big enough for large agricultural vehicles – now frame sweeping views across the hillside. New openings have been positioned and sized to respond to the barn’s new use and give ‘the overall building a human scale’, explains Turner Works.

Six bedrooms are located on the upper floor to make the most of the far-reaching views of the surroundings. (There’s also a 200 sq m ‘scaffold board deck’ that wraps around the base of the building, connecting the house and its inhabitants to the landscape and encouraging them outdoors.)

‘Laura and I created Dut18 to bring together two arts of living not often combined – the elegant pause of minimalist design and the messy, pagan pulse of nature worship,’ says owner David Johnston. For several years, the Warwickshire retreat has welcomed visitors, particularly creatives, to this corner of the Cotswolds as a holiday rental. The impressive converted barn is now for sale via The Modern House for £1.75m.

Turner Works has used a limited palette of industrial and self-finished materials across the interiors in homage to the building’s origins. The spaces also feel gallery-like: white walls and sliding doors, Douglas Fir, stainless steel, and concrete.