An old village inn nestled in the rolling landscape of Yorkshire, refurbished into a modern, intentional escape rooted in heritage.

This was our first of many projects for Denton Reserve – a 2,500-acre, purpose-led project combating climate change through carbon capture, improving biodiversity, and sustainable food production.

Our design for The Penny Bun, a small, five-bedroom village inn, as well as our ongoing work on the wider estate, has thrust us into a new purpose-driven mission to restore the health of the planet, building by building, material by material, maker by maker. This project is the first to really test our philosophy that great design is greater when it leaves a positive impact. We have chosen to use only makers that craft responsibly, using VOC-free, natural, or waste materials from the construction and other industries.

The colour palette is rooted in and therefore in harmony with the natural landscape it sits within. Muddy, earthy browns, dusty, heathery pinks, muted forest greens, and calming, pale wheat. Even the original York stone front step was reused within the magnificent hearth. The sinks are made from 90% waste concrete, the tiles are cold-pressed instead of hot-fired, and the linen is natural and unbleached. Every single detail is considered – exhausting but utterly rewarding.

To support our environmental mission, walls were thermally upgraded with a thick blanket of wool insulation, and the tables in the extension are made from solid wool. We chose to clad the entire timber frame extension in cork, carefully routed to tie it back to a traditional, vertically panelled barn that may have once stood upon this landscape. Cork is now at the top of our list of sustainable materials, a 100% natural, recyclable and renewable raw material, an acoustic insulator, a barrier against fires, hydrological regulation + soli protection, we could go on and we will keep exploring this material thoughout different applications in our designs. The cork building cladding is reflected back in the big cork ball supporting the incredible sharing table, below a giant slab of wood rescued from the Estate’s old wood store. A statement piece that is just one of many collaborations with the excellent craftspeople who work with us to execute our vision and whose stories we will be sharing as we launch our furniture collections.