Barn Renovation Ideas

The positioning of the home’s roof allowed for a double-height, north-facing wall with four matching windows and an accompanying skylight. “The house refers to rural houses: a sloping roof, completely coated by stone and with no eaves,” Vanotti says.

Views of the Orobie Alps can be seen from the home’s windows, which also feature larch frames. A lampadina light by Flos sits on the nightstand.

As per the owner's request, the second floor’s open landing receives ample sunlight. The space is used as a study and the home's two bedrooms are situated to the right, their doors just outside the frame.

The stairs are made of iron, which was coated with white paint from San Marco.

The ground floor is comprised of a living room, kitchen, and bathroom that are all detailed with larch wood. In the kitchen, a retro Bompani refrigerator and freezer blend in with the minimal aesthetic.

Reinforced concrete stands behind the stone facade to provide insulation. Vanotti wanted to focus this project on the simple materials of concrete, natural larch, iron, and wood.

“The inside is, for the most part, concentrated on the local craftsmanship, because I believe it is very important,” Vanotti says. “It represents our history.” Artisan Vanotti Mauro built many parts of the building, including its most prominent feature: the larch wood accents. A custom fireplace warms the living room.

The two-sided stove is installed in the heart of the house, elevated slightly to bring the fire closer to eye-level. The stove marks the meeting of the new concrete floor with the old wooden floor. Photo by Laura Stamer.

Colored tiles in the shower are revealed behind a cedar wood wall. "The sound of falling water on wood and the surrounding fields form the background," say the architects. "This was our way of introducing an immaterial idea of what luxury actually could be about."

View from the living room. The space was opened up by inserting large window openings with hidden frames. Photo by Laura Stamer.

These wood-wrapped spaces take oriented strand board to new heights.

Floor Play Subverting the traditional, conservatively cozy British barn conversion, Carl Turner created a getaway in rural Norfolk for himself and his friends to visit, repose, and consider the beauty of agrarian minimalism. In the converted barn, a modern fireplace with a sleek, shiny chimney contrasts with the wide, reclaimed wood floorboards and textured exposed brick wall.

The old barn's foundation, re-stacked by a local stonemason, was reused as a rustic retaining wall for the pool area. The property also came with a corn crib and blacksmith shop as old as the barn, seen behind the pool, which are both used for storage now. St. Tropez chaises from Kingsley-Bate line the pool.

Transformation of an old barn into dwelling with external terrace. Martiat+Durnez Architectes

Transformation of an old barn by Martiat+Durnez Architectes

In addition to the barn-like roof, another key requirement for the house was a studio. In here, one of the couple creates collages and other works of art.

Subverting the traditional, conservatively cozy British barn conversion, Carl Turner created a getaway in rural Norfolk for himself and his friends to visit, repose, and consider the beauty of agrarian minimalism. Turner reclaimed most of the timber used for the flooring as he renovated buildings in London. He thought his stockpile was big enough for the Ochre Barn, but the scale of the place defeated him. The solution, surprisingly, was eBay, turning up an old mill’s worth of boards.

A guest room in this repurposed barn in the English countryside lets the ceiling do the talking. Photo by Christoffer Rudquist.

Designers Russell Pinch and Oona Bannon kept many of the architectural details of the 300-year-old cow barn they turned into a second home, including its terra-cotta roof tiles. The primary structural change took place on the front facade, which they tore down and rebuilt, opening space for a traditional oeil-de-boeuf window. The door on the left opens to a workshop. In addition to designing furniture, the couple also create interiors for select clients.