Woven is nestled among trees, on an idyllic spot a few moments from the sandy beaches of Broadstairs on the Kent coast. This is a house designed to immerse its residents in nature; and even at first glance, it is easy to see how. Its author, Giles Miller Studio, wanted to 'break down barriers' with this design, and the house certainly does that, literally and figuratively – both internally, with its expansive, open-plan design, and externally, as it seemingly expands outwards and embraces the outdoors through floor-to-ceiling glazing on all sides and its 'woven', sculptural façade ready for nature to grow on and around it.
Woven: a house for immersing yourself in nature
Giles Miller champions experiential and finely crafted design through his namesake studio. 'The buildings we inhabit have a direct impact on our state of mind,' he says. 'Through their design they are curators of light, sound and human interaction, and they can expose us to nature and organic materials to dramatically positive effect. We believe that this aspiration, in synchrony with our latest surface and sculptural experimentation in the studio, has spawned a wholly unique architectural typology.'
With Woven, Miller envisioned the house's external skin as a series of intricate and delicately designed screens whose sculptural latticework allows light in, views out, and nature to inhabit them (as the site's jasmine, clematis and other plants are encouraged to grow and engulf the house in foliage and flowers). The pattern on the screens was inspired by the 'mathematical circularity of twisted rattan weave', explains the designer.
Inside, meanwhile, warm timber clads nearly every surface the eye can see. A Miele kitchen, Vispring beds, Grohe kitchen and bathroom fittings, Tala lighting, Caesarstone Frozen Terra surfaces and countertops, and L.Ercolani furniture help compose a domestic space fit for 21st-century living.
'Woven is a manifesto building – from the ground up and from the inside out, it has been designed to maximise the richness of experience for inhabitants through a unique approach to material selection and composition,' writes the studio, of Woven.
'The project has been delivered by a collaborative cohort led by Giles and his studio which includes architects, artists, engineers and makers alongside some of the world’s most conscientious suppliers.'
