Complete with a huge cantilever The clients who commissioned this sleek modern home in Kent, England couldn?t have asked for something more different from their previous abode: a 15th-century Tudor house. But variety is the spice of life, right" The couple, a retired engineer and interior designer, tapped AR Design Studio?designers of the house ?that ate its modern neighbor??to build their vision of contemporary domestic paradise.

The result is a rectangular volume with perpendicular planes, slightly elevated above the lawn by a recessed brick base, creating the impression that the home is floating. This sense of lightness is enhanced by a large section of the home that?s cantilevered out over the driveway.
The design essentially comprises a set of five rectangular volumes clustered around a large interior courtyard. The massing and orientation of each section was created to frame the best views of the surrounding countryside.

?Each block is linked to a distinct aspect of the garden, with a final connecting view provided from the roof of a brick tower,? the architects write on their website.
?These volumes are all connected by the central courtyard, an area of extensive glazing allowing light and fresh air to continually penetrate the house, and provide year round sheltered outdoor space.?

Where the wood-clad exterior of the home feels dark and dominant, the interior is all light and air with strategic...