"The 300-year-old farmhouse, painstakingly restored by artist and sculptor Jobe Burns, pulsates with a potent sense of history and shines with a brilliant luminosity"
Jobe Burns Transforms 300-Year-Old Farmhouse into a Modern Spa-Like Retreat
In a remarkable four and a half year project, renowned artist and designer Jobe Burns has transformed a 300-year-old farmhouse into a modern home that preserves its rich history. The project, located in the British countryside, serves as a testament to Burns' unique design philosophy, which centres on preserving and revealing the home's deep historical character while integrating modern, functional spaces.
The red bathroom, Burns' favourite room in the project, was designed to feel like a spa for relaxation. The room, adorned with handmade 2" bricks sourced from a farmhouse demolished for HS2, exudes a chalky, muted, earthy, and timeless aesthetic that seamlessly blends with the original structure. The large ceramic bath and clay walls wrap around in the same hues, creating a feeling of oneness.
Burns approached the project as a conversation about British identity. He respected the building’s original fabric and patina, treating the renovation as a careful, slow process of revival rather than a rapid facelift. This approach is evident in the untouched, original wall left intact, and the dead trees from the garden milled into shelves and tables, demonstrating sustainable interior design.
The farmhouse design embraces airy textures, neutral tones, and warm wooden elements. One of the standout features is the living room, which boasts an interior window with an arched framing and period style glass. The modern living room furniture adds a sense of separation within the space, creating intimate areas for solitude, music, and gathering.
The project also involved stripping the building down to its bones and making decisions based on what was revealed. Burns discovered two hidden, brick-arched rooms during the process, which he reframed to enhance what the farmhouse already offered. He emphasized the importance of maintaining the home's integrity and spirit during the renovation, allowing the building to lead the design process and avoid smart tech.
Jobe Burns studied spatial design at Chelsea College of Art and obtained an MA in sculpture from the Royal College of Art. His work embodies a fusion of spatial design, sculpture, and heritage preservation, grounded in authenticity and sensitivity to the passage of time. The farmhouse design process, therefore, became a quiet collaboration between the house, the land, and its past, creating spaces that invite a slower pace and foster a sense of stillness and reflection consistent with the home’s essence.
In the red bathroom, the curved shower hugs the user and creates a grounding environment, while the whole project gives a sense of time and beauty. Burns' transformation of the farmhouse into a modern home that respects and celebrates its history is a testament to his unique design philosophy and approach.
- The living room, characterized by airy textures, neutral tones, and warm wooden elements, features an interior window with an arched framing and period style glass, providing intimate areas for solitude, music, and gathering.
- Jobe Burns, during the renovation, reframed two hidden, brick-arched rooms to enhance what the farmhouse already offered, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the home's integrity and spirit.
- The farmhouse's red bathroom, Burns' favorite room, was adorned with handmade 2" bricks, showcasing a chalky, muted, earthy, and timeless aesthetic that seamlessly blends with the original structure.
- The tiles used in the bathroom and kitchen maintain the same hues as the large ceramic bath and clay walls, creating a feeling of oneness.
- Sustainable interior design was demonstrated in the project by milling dead trees from the garden into shelves and tables.
- Jobe Burns’ design philosophy focuses on preserving and revealing the home’s deep historical character while integrating modern, functional spaces, making the farmhouse design a quiet collaboration between the house, the land, and its past.
- The farmhouse project, situated in the British countryside, embodies a fusion of interior design, lifestyle, home-and-garden, and art, grounded in authenticity and sensitivity to the passage of time, reflecting a trend of preserving history while embracing modernity.
