Delfyd Farm
Delfyd Farm is a remote coastal farmhouse in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the Gower peninsular in south Wales. The clients, a creative couple, wished to improve the spatial quality of the ground floor of their home to accommodate family and friends. The project comprises two modest domestic extensions on either side of the existing farmhouse: a guest wing to the east and a dining and sitting room to the west, adjacent to the existing kitchen. This creates practical and accessible pockets of space at either end of the farmhouse that allow for the home to expand and sub-divide, giving the owners and their guests privacy during their stay.
Constructed around 1895, the original farmhouse is of a typical Gower vernacular, built of solid stone wall construction, aligned to a simple rectangular plan with a porch to protect against the weather. Georgian sash windows regulate the scale and proportion of the main, south-facing facade. The new extensions read as four distinct volumes, scaled to bring focus to the hierarchy of the original farmhouse. They are clad in a simple rhythmic palette of standing seam, vertical larch beaded cladding, with bespoke window units following the setting out of roof and walls. New materials consider the demands of the site’s remote coastal location and its requirement for durable materials that can withstand the effects of coastal exposure.
A guest wing to the east comprises a bedroom, bathroom, living room and kitchen, with a separate entrance from the driveway. This wing is also used as a gym by the client. A dining and sitting room to the west, adjacent to the existing kitchen, provides a flexible space for entertaining, and affords panoramic views out to the hillside in the south, pasture to the west, and to the coastline in the north.
A limited palette of quarry tile and beaded oak panelling compliment the rich palette of the original farmhouse. Vaulted plaster ceilings bring height and natural light to new spaces acting as the counterpoint to the mellow tones of the farmhouse. The workmanship of the new building elements is testament to a genuine collaboration between client, architect and a highly skilled contractor.
