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Modern living room with large windows, black sofas, a round coffee table, a grand piano, bookshelf, and wood-burning stove, overlooking a grassy landscape and distant hills.

Modern annexe transforms stunning converted barn in East Sussex

Home › Case Studies › Modern annexe transforms stunning converted barn in East Sussex

Grand Slider IIOpen Corner doors

When it comes to retiring to the countryside, the appeal of the landscape is only half the story. However breath-taking the view, the home must also offer a practical and comfortable, way to experience it. That was the challenge faced by the owners of Abbots Barn – a beautifully converted barn that, while full of character, wasn’t quite suited to their needs.

The solution, designed by architects BakerBrown was to create an annexe that not only complements the existing building but completes it – providing everything the barn itself could not. The design introduces generous space, light, and height, all while remaining sensitive to the original structure’s agricultural charm. The result is a dwelling that invites the outside in, with open corner sliding doors framing stunning views of the South Downs capturing the ever-changing light and landscape.

Beyond aesthetics, sustainability guided every design decision. The annexe was conceived as a model of low-impact living, achieving complete carbon neutrality through advanced insulation, renewable energy systems, and efficient materials. Its ecological footprint is so dramatically reduced that the combined home is now carbon neutral and stands as a testament to what modern rural living can be – both beautiful and responsible.

Ultimately, the annexe at Abbots Barn is more than an addition; it’s a vision of a sustainable, graceful future. It offers a home designed not just for the present but for the years to come.

Location: Ripe, East Sussex
Architects: BakerBrown
Main Contractor: MB Cable
Photos: Leigh Simpson Photography

Gallery

A black wooden house with large windows and a sloped roof sits next to a grassy field, surrounded by trees under a clear blue sky.
Modern living room with large windows, two dark sofas, a round coffee table, a wood stove, a grand piano, and built-in bookshelves, overlooking a scenic outdoor landscape.
Modern house with dark shingle siding, large glass doors, and a wooden deck, set in a grassy landscape with trees and blue sky in the background.
Modern room with large floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking a grassy field and distant hills under a clear blue sky. Two brown leather chairs face the view.
Modern living room with wood paneling, large windows overlooking a scenic landscape, dark sofas, a black wood stove, and a grand piano next to built-in shelves.
Modern living room with wood paneling, large windows, black sofas, a round coffee table, a wood stove, a stack of firewood, bookshelves, and a grand piano overlooking a scenic landscape.
A modern room with large glass walls opens to a patio with two leather chairs, overlooking a grassy field and distant hills under a clear blue sky.
A modern house with dark shingles, a wooden deck, and a metal pergola overlooks a grassy field and distant hills under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
Modern living room with large windows, a wood-burning stove, gray sofas, a round rug, and a view of green fields and hills outside.
A stack of cut firewood is neatly arranged in a metal log holder next to a wall and a refrigerator.
A rectangular window set in a dark shingle-clad wall above a brick foundation, with reflections of trees and landscape visible in the glass.
A modern house with dark shingles, large windows, and solar panels sits in a grassy area with birch trees and clear blue sky.
A modern black wooden house with large glass sliding doors, solar panels on the roof, and a small garden in front, set against a grassy lawn.
Close-up view of a metal or wooden grid structure with trees and sky blurred in the background.
A two-story black house with a sloped roof stands in a rural area, surrounded by trees and an open field under a blue sky.
Modern black-clad house extension with large glass windows, connected to an older brick and timber house, surrounded by grass and trees.
Modern black timber house with large glass doors, a wooden deck, and a sloped roof, situated on a grassy lawn under a clear blue sky.
Modern glass-walled home extension with a black frame and louvered roof, attached to a dark-paneled house, surrounded by green grass and trees.
A modern house with dark wood siding features a glass-walled extension, a wooden deck with steps, and overlooks a grassy yard under a clear sky.
A modern house with large glass sliding doors, a wooden deck with steps, and a black slatted awning, overlooking a grassy field and trees under a blue sky.
Close-up of a slatted black pergola with raindrops on the surface, attached to a shingled roof under a clear blue sky.
A modern building exterior with dark shingles, large glass windows, a brick base, and a tree with green foliage in the foreground.
Modern house with large glass windows, dark shingle siding, and a slatted overhang, set against greenery and a wooden fence in the background.
Modern black house with large glass windows and wooden exterior, situated on a grassy lawn with clear blue sky in the background.
A modern black house with a pitched roof and a large glass-walled extension, situated on a grassy lawn under a clear blue sky.
Modern courtyard garden with raised wooden planters filled with plants and gravel ground cover, surrounded by black timber and brick buildings with large windows.
Exterior view of a modern dark wood house with large glass window revealing a bright interior and countryside visible in the background.
View of a grassy field and distant hills seen from beneath the shaded corner of a modern building with wooden decking in the foreground.
Modern living room with two dark sofas facing a wood stove, large windows with views of fields, minimalist kitchen on the left, and suspended circular lights.
A black wooden house with large windows and a sloped roof sits next to a grassy field, surrounded by trees under a clear blue sky.
Modern living room with large windows, two dark sofas, a round coffee table, a wood stove, a grand piano, and built-in bookshelves, overlooking a scenic outdoor landscape.
Modern house with dark shingle siding, large glass doors, and a wooden deck, set in a grassy landscape with trees and blue sky in the background.
Modern room with large floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking a grassy field and distant hills under a clear blue sky. Two brown leather chairs face the view.
Modern living room with wood paneling, large windows overlooking a scenic landscape, dark sofas, a black wood stove, and a grand piano next to built-in shelves.
Modern living room with wood paneling, large windows, black sofas, a round coffee table, a wood stove, a stack of firewood, bookshelves, and a grand piano overlooking a scenic landscape.
A modern room with large glass walls opens to a patio with two leather chairs, overlooking a grassy field and distant hills under a clear blue sky.
A modern house with dark shingles, a wooden deck, and a metal pergola overlooks a grassy field and distant hills under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
Modern living room with large windows, a wood-burning stove, gray sofas, a round rug, and a view of green fields and hills outside.
A stack of cut firewood is neatly arranged in a metal log holder next to a wall and a refrigerator.
A rectangular window set in a dark shingle-clad wall above a brick foundation, with reflections of trees and landscape visible in the glass.
A modern house with dark shingles, large windows, and solar panels sits in a grassy area with birch trees and clear blue sky.
A modern black wooden house with large glass sliding doors, solar panels on the roof, and a small garden in front, set against a grassy lawn.
Close-up view of a metal or wooden grid structure with trees and sky blurred in the background.
A two-story black house with a sloped roof stands in a rural area, surrounded by trees and an open field under a blue sky.
Modern black-clad house extension with large glass windows, connected to an older brick and timber house, surrounded by grass and trees.
Modern black timber house with large glass doors, a wooden deck, and a sloped roof, situated on a grassy lawn under a clear blue sky.
Modern glass-walled home extension with a black frame and louvered roof, attached to a dark-paneled house, surrounded by green grass and trees.
A modern house with dark wood siding features a glass-walled extension, a wooden deck with steps, and overlooks a grassy yard under a clear sky.
A modern house with large glass sliding doors, a wooden deck with steps, and a black slatted awning, overlooking a grassy field and trees under a blue sky.
Close-up of a slatted black pergola with raindrops on the surface, attached to a shingled roof under a clear blue sky.
A modern building exterior with dark shingles, large glass windows, a brick base, and a tree with green foliage in the foreground.
Modern house with large glass windows, dark shingle siding, and a slatted overhang, set against greenery and a wooden fence in the background.
Modern black house with large glass windows and wooden exterior, situated on a grassy lawn with clear blue sky in the background.
A modern black house with a pitched roof and a large glass-walled extension, situated on a grassy lawn under a clear blue sky.
Modern courtyard garden with raised wooden planters filled with plants and gravel ground cover, surrounded by black timber and brick buildings with large windows.
Exterior view of a modern dark wood house with large glass window revealing a bright interior and countryside visible in the background.
View of a grassy field and distant hills seen from beneath the shaded corner of a modern building with wooden decking in the foreground.
Modern living room with two dark sofas facing a wood stove, large windows with views of fields, minimalist kitchen on the left, and suspended circular lights.

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