Old and new, 500 years apart, in perfect harmony

An old building, which was not originally a dwelling but a barn, has been turned into a house that can be rented for romantic vacations. I couldn't pass over the transformation of a wooden barn built in the 15th century to serve a farm in the UK. What attracted me first and foremost, more than the age, were the ideas of transformation to achieve a bright space in an enclosure that is by definition dark. Secondly, it was the designers' ideas of blending old and new without being intrusive, with each of the objects, whether old or new, finding their perfect place.

We're talking about the conversion of a wooden barn built 500 years ago. It was one of those tall, horizontal and vertical-beam, high, farm-serving barns where the animals were housed and where hay and farm tools were stored. American movies show a barn like this.

The transformation was done keeping all these beams, but trying to achieve maximum comfort. Viewed as a whole it is a single room, just like the old barn. And also like the old barn, there's a loft that doesn't cover the whole area, so it's not totally separated from the space below. It's like a platform that you go up the staircase and you can look down into the space below without any problem.

Downstairs is the living room, kitchen and bathroom. The bathroom is the only separate room. The rest of the living room has kitchen, dining and seating areas, separated by the way the furniture has been arranged or by false walls that double as storage space. However, the areas seem separate and do not 'clash'.

The kitchen has its own identity, given by the cabinetry and the way the walls have been decorated using old wooden spoons and succulents. The furnishings are simple, austere, highlighted only by the solid wood worktop.

It is separated from the rest of the living room by a false wall that has various niches where you can put kitchen objects and appliances on one side or decorative objects on the other.

What is extraordinary about this living room is how the light problem was solved without cutting the vertical beams. Between the beams, all along the height of the wall, in the places that used to be filled with earth to form the wall, windows have been placed. Thus the wall became an alternation of old beams and glass 'slices', transforming a dark enclosure into a very bright and interesting one.

The staircase leading up to the attic has at one point a platform where you can see the living room in all its splendor.

A few more steps lead up to the bedroom. The same highlighted beams, the same old-looking space, but which manages to integrate the Scandinavian-designed lamps and bedside tables very well. The old Persian rug adds a touch of preciousness to the whole space.

The same idea of combining old or classically designed pieces of furniture with modern, simple and austere Scandinavian Scandinavian design can be found in the living room.

Decorative objects, paintings, mirrors, follow the same weaving the old with the newBut everyone finds their perfect place and creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Converting a wooden barn can be very successful as long as you try to preserve as many of the original elements as possible. This transformation is also spectacular due to the fact that it's a space that no one would have thought could become a romantic vacation spot.

photo source: grove-cottage.co.uk