The post-pandemic urge to ditch the urban grind and escape to the country is a feeling many of us know all too well. But while most of us just spent hours scrolling through real estate apps, Tom Gresford—principal architect of London-based studio Gresford Architects—actually went out and did it.
Spotting a property with massive carbon-neutral potential, he snapped up a dated, uninspired 1980s bungalow in West Oxfordshire and set about transforming it into an absolute masterclass in sustainable modern living.
The result of this ambitious architectural rescue mission is The Old Orchard House.
Tucked away back from the street and boasting killer views overlooking the scenic Thames Valley, this stunning timber-clad family home proves that you don’t need to build from scratch to achieve world-class, eco-friendly luxury.
High-Performance Passivhaus Engineering
When approaching the remodel of the original 1960s structure (which had its first, questionable facelift in the 1980s), Gresford Architects didn’t want to just tear it down and start over.
Instead, they aimed to keep the project’s carbon footprint as low as humanly possible by reusing and repurposing elements from the original bungalow wherever they could.
Because of this conscious design ethos, Old Orchard House proudly aligns with EnerPHIT guidance—which is essentially the gold-standard Passivhaus benchmark for retrofit buildings.
By leaving materials with high levels of embodied carbon unaltered, the studio dramatically reduced the home’s environmental impact. To create a seamless, uniform aesthetic between the old and new structures, the architects enveloped the entire home in western red cedar cladding, which was incredibly harvested from trees located right on the site itself.
The eco-credentials under the hood of this countryside dwelling are seriously impressive:
- Advanced Insulation: The entire exterior has been heavily insulated, dropping U-values to unprecedented lows.
- Zero Traditional Heating: The insulation is so efficient that no conventional central heating system is required.
- Smart Airflow: An energy-efficient MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery) system regulates the home’s climate through cross ventilation.
- Off-Grid Power: The property utilizes a massive array of solar panels paired with a high-performance air source heat pump.
For the roof, a segment of the original top layer was replaced with a striking timber-framed extension that follows the site’s cruciform layout, topped with powder-coated corrugated steel—a clever aesthetic nod to the neighboring agricultural barns.
Kimonos, Hidden Doors, and Secret Slides
Step inside Old Orchard House, and any lingering thoughts of a boring, clinical eco-home instantly vanish. The ground floor layout is an absolute riot of color and clever space management.
Gresford knocked down the existing stud walls to open up the floor plan into a series of interconnected, colorful blocks.
The interior palette draws its vibrant inspiration directly from the family’s time living in Japan, seamlessly incorporating the traditional, rich colors and patterns found in Japanese kimonos.
Rather than using rigid permanent walls, each distinct space is separated by sliding pocket doors, allowing the home to effortlessly adapt from private rooms into a massive, fluid entertaining area.
The traditional conservatory was replaced with a gorgeous, modern glazed addition that floods the living space with natural light.
This lounge area opens directly onto a covered wooden verandah, allowing the indoor family space to blend seamlessly into the rolling Oxfordshire landscape outside.
The playful design language continues as you move upstairs via a deep, dark green stairwell and hallway. In a brilliant stroke of pure childhood joy, the architects integrated a built-in indoor slide hidden completely behind a “secret” door in the wall, wrapping beautifully around the home’s main staircase.
It’s exactly the kind of whimsical, unexpected detail we love here at The Coolector. Old Orchard House is a triumphant reminder that sustainable architecture can be deeply respectful of the planet while still being incredibly fun to live in.
