Orchard Barn
A dark-clad barn turned into a quiet family home
Architecture, Interiors
·
2020–2023
Orchard Barn among the apple trees
About the project
An old fruit barn at the edge of an orchard had stood empty for thirty years. We kept its shape and its roof, and slid a new timber house inside, leaving the old walls as a dark outer shell.
Typology
House conversion
Status
Completed 2023
Location
Funen, Denmark
Client
Private
Size
210 m²
Site
3.0 hectares
Partner
Henrik Sørensen
Kitchen under the old roof trusses
A child's room in the loft
The concept
A house inside a barn
The barn's oak frame was repaired and left exposed. Inside it, a lighter pine house holds bedrooms and bathrooms, while the kitchen and living room sit in the full height of the old barn.
Large doors on both long sides open in summer, so the orchard runs straight through the house.
The full-height living room
Material and light
Old oak, new pine
The outer walls are clad in black-stained boards, matching the barn's original colour. Inside, new pine is left untreated beside the dark oak frame, so it is always clear what is old and what is new.
Floors are the original brick, lifted, cleaned and relaid over new underfloor heating.
One day in the living room
Morning
07:00
Midday
12:00
Afternoon
16:30
Dusk
19:45
Night
22:00
Bedrooms and kitchens face east, so the day begins with low, cool light across the walls.
At noon the sun stands high in the south, and the deep roof keeps the living room bright without glare.
In the afternoon the light turns warm and low, reaching across the floor to the far wall.
At dusk the west windows hold the last colour of the sky while the room slowly falls quiet.
At night a few low lamps take over, and the windows turn into dark mirrors of the garden.
Credits
Architect
Clerestory
Partner in charge
Henrik Sørensen
Interiors
Sofie Dahl
Project leader
Karin Vik
Engineer
Fyns Rådgivning
Contractor
Fyn Tømrer
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