River House

River House is a strikingly contemporary, riverside home with views across the Oxfordshire countryside and a flowing single-storey design that mirrors the moving water of the River Thames on which it overlooks.

Our clients’ vision was to create a unique family home on an infill site within the grounds of a heritage manor house. Although sympathetic to the cultural significance of the local vernacular, they were keen to commission a manifestly modern building that would add a new chapter to the history of the area. River House is an elegant, pavilion-style design that sits comfortably within its surroundings as a sensitive contrast of contemporary to heritage. The low-profile roofline, sitting below the eyeline of the manor house, ensures the house complements rather than dominates the site. Dramatic, cantilevered roofing produces a series of unique angles and stepped levels that offer visual depth, whilst functional stilts create a sense of weightlessness as the house appears to float effortlessly over the meadow, softening the silhouette and futureproofing against flooding to be a sustainable building for generations to come. The internal living spaces follow a minimal, open-plan design defined by clean white lines, wood and marble accents. Throughout, expansive glass walls and windows give uninterrupted sightline across the length and breadth of the home, taking in all that nature has to give. Brimming with personality, River House fulfils a challenging brief to create a distinctive modern home that sits beautifully within its environment.