Sitting in a small hamlet next to the market town of Brecon in Powys, Wales, this timber home by architect Samuel Organ could be mistaken for an old barn or farm building at first glance. The pitched structure is surrounded by lush countryside and feels untouched by time – but step inside, and a modern idyll awaits.

Cae Pentre is one of six houses designed by the local architect back in 2007 in the picturesque location on the borders of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Organ took pains to minimise the visual impact on the site, riffing on the rural vernacular to conceive the small enclave by using natural materials and forms found across the Welsh region.

Over time, the building’s timber skin has taken on a silvery hue, while the glass facade captures the dramatic views.

The boundary between indoors and outdoors is further broken down by folding doors on the ground level that divides the living area and indoor winter garden, and a large garden and deck, off the kitchen.

Interiors of the Welsh property – for sale via The Modern House for £485,000 – are deliberately minimalist, keeping the attention on the views. Grey floor tiles run underfoot, while a large woodturning stove separates the living room from the dining area and kitchen beyond.

An oak staircase leads up to the bedroom level, where there are four bedrooms (the smallest is currently used as a home office, overlooking the winter garden below). Built-in storage maximises floor space in each, while steel-framed windows bring in light and frame views of the surrounding countryside.

Bookworms will also enjoy Cae Pentre’s proximity to Hay-on-Wye, famed for its bookstores and the site of the literary Hay Festival, dubbed ‘the Woodstock of the mind.’

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