London-based Studio Ben Allen has completed the renovation of A Place in the Country, a former farmhouse situated in rural Kent. The project introduces vibrant colours throughout and centres on a new oak-lined library.
Studio Ben Allen carefully reworked the home to bring clarity to previous alterations, enhancing the flow between rooms and establishing distinct zones for entertaining, reading, working, and exercising.
The entrance hall leads directly to a newly created library at the heart of the home, distinguished by its curved oak-lined walls.
This central library also serves as an entertaining space, featuring a cocktail cabinet discreetly integrated within blue-stained timber walls.
“We wanted a full-height timber-lined library, but thought it would be more engaging to carve out niches for sitting and reading,” explained Ben Allen, founder of Studio Ben Allen, to Dezeen.
“This concept evolved into an obround or pill-shaped form, with the creation of niches around it becoming a subtractive process—essentially carving the niches out of what would have been solid corners,” Allen said.
On the west side of the house, the library connects to the original kitchen and dining area, where a new doorway has been introduced to improve access to the garden.
The kitchen features existing cabinets painted a rich blue, topped with concrete countertops, while an oversized bright yellow extraction hood above the cooker adds a striking contrast.
Vivid accents unify the interior, with a palette that focuses on reds, yellows, blues, and greens.
“We try to group colours mainly by materials,” said Allen. “Metalwork elements are powder-coated in bright primary hues, textiles favour more subdued tones, and wood is typically left with a natural finish,” he explained.
To the south of the library lies the living room, which features dark timber beams and an exposed brick fireplace, opening onto a conservatory filled with plants and offering views of the garden.
The conservatory is constructed from locally reclaimed bricks, with CNC-cut birch plywood and oak. Its pitched roof is supported by scissor trusses.
“The birch plywood was stained a pale green for contrast against the solid oak rafters, referencing Victorian conservatories and greenhouses,” Allen noted.
Designed with flexibility in mind, the conservatory also includes a bright red steel pull-up bar for exercise. From here, a solid oak pergola extends out, framing a seating area on the terrace.
Upstairs, the layout was entirely reworked to minimise wasted corridor space, thereby enlarging the main bedroom and study.
Visual connections are a recurring motif, including a small set of yellow doors in the upstairs study that open to overlook the kitchen below.
“Openings are designed to break down the cellular nature of the original house—encouraging better communication, introducing unexpected views, and adding playful connections between spaces,” Allen said.
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