Project Description:

The Gallery Barn is a steel-framed agricultural conversion in Oxfordshire, built around polished concrete floors, textured plastered walls and encaustic-tiled bathrooms, with a near three-by-three-metre screen anchoring the entrance hall against the open kitchen, living and dining space beyond.

We designed the barn’s core architecture and interiors for resale. When it sold to its second owners, a couple relocating from London, we returned for procurement. They arrived with furniture scaled to a London flat, set against ceilings that climbed past three metres in places. The brief shifted: furniture with genuine presence, lighting to bring the room’s height back down to human scale, and bespoke cabinetry built to match the barn’s own proportions. The bigger challenge was tonal. The owners’ artwork and furniture carried a distinctly English Heritage character, set against a resolutely modern conversion. We worked in tone rather than opposition, pairing pieces that echoed their existing furniture with additions that gave traditional forms a contemporary edge: a heritage painting above a sleek console table, a traditional silhouette rebuilt in modern materials. The result feels unmistakably contemporary, with the building’s heritage still present underneath, a blend of old and new that guests consistently remark on.

We designed the barn’s core architecture and interiors for resale. When it sold to its second owners, a couple relocating from London, we returned for procurement. They arrived with furniture scaled to a London flat, set against ceilings that climbed past three metres in places. The brief shifted: furniture with genuine presence, lighting to bring the room’s height back down to human scale, and bespoke cabinetry built to match the barn’s own proportions. The bigger challenge was tonal. The owners’ artwork and furniture carried a distinctly English Heritage character, set against a resolutely modern conversion. We worked in tone rather than opposition, pairing pieces that echoed their existing furniture with additions that gave traditional forms a contemporary edge: a heritage painting above a sleek console table, a traditional silhouette rebuilt in modern materials. The result feels unmistakably contemporary, with the building’s heritage still present underneath, a blend of old and new that guests consistently remark on.

CATEGORY:

Residential, Interior Architecture & Interior Design

CLIENT:

Private Client

LOCATION:

Oxfordshire

SERVICES:

Interior Architecture / Full-Scope Interior Design / Procurement / Bespoke Joinery / Lighting Design

Dining area with timber chairs, a sculptural pendant light and a high-level window.
Dining table and timber chairs beneath pendant lights beside full-height glazing.
Narrow hallway with timber flooring, a pendant light and a small framed artwork.
Timber-clad entrance with black-framed glazing, indoor planting and a kitchen beyond.
Full-length linen curtains pooling beside a window seat and ribbed timber cabinetry.
Close-up of sheer curtains beside a ribbed timber cabinet with brass handles.
Bathroom with a timber vanity, dark basin, framed mirror and warm wall lighting.
Neutral sitting area with an upholstered chair, round side table and floor lamp.
Bathroom with a timber vanity, dark basin, framed mirror and warm wall lighting.
Striped cushions on a built-in window seat beside open shelves and a low timber table.

Working with Kirstie at Ordinary Interiors was altogether a very satisfactory and productive experience. Firstly, they listened to our ideas and came back with a design which was responsive while containing elements that we had not and would not have thought of. This consultative approach continued through the implementation phase. Not only were we kept up to date with progress, but we were consulted when adjustments had to be made to the original plan. Last but not least, they were very conscious of the agreed budget and worked diligently to adhere to it. We are extremely pleased with what Ordinary Interiors did for us and have no hesitation in recommending them to prospective clients.

“Mary & Mike”

Dining table and timber chairs beneath pendant lights beside full-height glazing.

Let’s create something
extraordinary.

Because the right design decisions made early can transform the entire experience of creating a home.

Because the right design decisions made early can transform the entire experience of creating a home.

Striped cushions on a built-in window seat beside open shelves and a low timber table.

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