Sleek & Stunning Ribble Valley Home

It’s late in the afternoon, late in November, and there’s more than a nip in the air. As daylight makes its retreat, mist appears and levitates just above the livestock in the surrounding pastures. Recent rainfall means the adjacent River Ribble is flowing at a rapid pace, the only thing which seems rushed in this quiet corner of Lancashire.

Yet here, out of the gloaming, stands a new home that both embraces its rural location and equally stands defiantly against the Autumnal chill; “This is my place” one can expect to hear it say, “I’m different, not what you might expect, but this is where I belong”.

The style is achingly contemporary but manages to strike a balance; it’s not uber-modern and there’s a degree of familiarity right from first sight; at first, it’s hard to put one’s finger on it – Spanish and Mediterranean influences? Angular, glazed first floor balconies extend and reach out to touch something in the distance – there’s a touch of luxury cruise ship here.

Construction of the property commenced in 2019 after the original building on the site was demolished: “I had every intention of repairing and renovating the place but after the surveys and costings came back, it simply wasn’t viable.” the owner tells us.

“I loved the location and was already fully committed to living here, so the only option was to start from scratch which, in turn, presented the opportunity to create something very special.”

“The timescale for construction was initially 18-months but obviously when Covid arrived the work had to halt and only resume when safe to do so. This has meant the build ended-up being just over 3-years, but it’s been well worth the wait.”

Majik House were consulted very early in the process, as Sales Director Jit Mistry explains: “The owner has been a client of ours for a number of years, and this meant the opportunity to be involved in discussions concerning lighting design, AV distribution and networking when it was still in the design and planning stage.”

“To some people it may feel like ‘putting the cart in front of the horse’ but having us involved in these initial conversations meant that our requirements could be incorporated into the design from the outset, reducing the need for works to be done retrospectively which invariably incurs additional mess and costs.”

We’re welcomed at the rear entrance to the building and, within a few moments, find ourselves commenting how this immediately feels like a home: not just a house, but a very well-made home, very precise and quite perfect in every detail.

Lutron Alisse lighting and room control touchpad

The first sight of Majik House’s involvement are the lighting controls: Alisse by Lutron. These sleek hand-crafted keypads are unquestionably the perfect choice for this property.

Contemporary, classic, precise, perfect, they are finished in antique brass and custom-engraved for each room with a pre-defined suite lighting scenes and automated actions. It’s hard to conceive there could be any other option than Alisse for this property, everything about them is just right.

Majik House’s proprietary downlights and inset LED strip-lights feature throughout the property, working seamlessly with Lutron’s controls to deliver the desired luminosity levels and colour temperature, managed by a Control4 system underpinning all of the smart home technology.

Drive-In Movies

Adjacent to the entrance is the custom cinema suite which is without doubt a highlight of this home and, although relatively modest in size (8m x 4m), it delivers an incredible AV experience.

“I’m going to go straight to the audio in here as it’s quite a system.” says Jit, “From our discussions with the client it was clear that the experience he wanted to achieve and how he wanted to use this space we would need to make some very considered choices.”

These choices would ultimately mean incorporating Wisdom Audio in-ceiling speakers and in-wall subwoofers. Wisdom’s loudspeakers can be found in some of the world’s most prestigious homes and the brand are also well-versed when it comes to audio solutions for less conventional arrangements.

The sound is full Dolby Atmos 5.2.2 comprising Wisdom Sage ICS7A high resolution in-ceiling speakers and two Wisdom RTL in-wall subwoofers. These are powered by Wisdom DW-1 Subwoofer amplifiers with digital signal processing with an Arcam DTS:X AV Receiver with Dirac Live room correction calibration performed by Majik House’s certified engineers.

“For a cinema room like this, we’d typically have speakers and subs behind the screen as well as in the ceiling and behind the seating area. In this instance, all the sound is from the in-ceiling speakers and the side wall-mounted subwoofers.”

The design of the Wisdom ceiling speakers features an innovative ‘Planar Magnetic Driver’ which means the Majik House engineers could precisely direct the focus of the sound to the seating area.

“The subwoofers are non-directional so there’s no discernible loss of performance in having them in the side wall. The only change was as a result of discussions with the guys at Wisdom Audio in London who suggested that rotating the subs 180 degrees would deliver the optimum sound quality for this particular space.

Given the owner’s passion for golf it’s hardly a surprise to discover a simulator incorporated into the cinema room, an addition which required a second fully automated drop-down screen.

“The cinema screen needs to be perfectly flat and is tensioned accordingly. However, if the homeowner was also using this screen to practise his swing, then it’s going to get distorted by the repeated impact from the balls being driven into it, so we included a second dedicated screen specifically for his golf sessions.”

Both are motorised drop-down screens and operated by the Alisse control pad with pre-set lighting scenes also deployed to suit the activity.

The choice and position of the ceiling projector was also a key consideration: if it was placed central then this would cause a shadow to be cast on the screen when practising golf, so the solution was to offset the projector to one side.

“On this project, the choice was an Epson large venue high-performance projector that had the flexibility to project from the required offset position. Epson’s installation range boast reassuring ‘fit and forget’ reliability as well as wide ultra XGA [WUXGA] resolution on screens of this size.”

One might expect a degree of compromise in terms of the quality of image, but the choice of the Epson EB-PU2113W delivers crisp, precise projection that fills the screen beautifully without any degree of distortion to the bright, high-definition images.

Majik House LED downlights also feature here, but the real conversation piece when it comes to lighting is the unique piece of artwork behind the seating area which the owner bought in Boston, Massachusetts, on a trip to the States.

“Because it was created by the artist in America, it was designed to operate on 120V and not the UK 230V supply. It wasn’t a big deal to change this, but it also had to be factored-in with the room settings as this is also controlled with the other lighting scenes.”

Embraced by Soft Lighting, Enveloped by Full Sound

This house features two living rooms – one being a cosy affair in the open-plan space with kitchen and dining room, the other perhaps more formal and with space for a baby grand piano.

Both rooms are bathed in natural light courtesy of the full height glazing, all of which opens and, during warmer months, affords a seamless transition between indoors and the outside.

The lighting scenes are all operated by the Alisse touchpads, including striking wall and ceiling feature lights which rise and fall in luminosity without the hint of hesitation or flicker at the gentle push of a button.

There’s whole house integrated audio but not a single speaker to be seen as all are invisible Sonance ceiling (VP80) and wall speakers (SON-IS10) which are concealed, plastered-in behind the pristine white walls

The audio delivery afforded by these Sonance is warm, full and enveloping. It can also be deceiving – for all the world, our photographer was convinced that there was a subwoofer somewhere to be found in the main living room but all he found was those smooth clean walls.

Living rooms and bedrooms all have Samsung QLED 4K HDR televisions, operated by Control4 Neeo remotes. HD Anywhere’s MHUB 4K PRO effortlessly serves Sky Q throughout the house. This centralised AV solution features long-range signal technology allowing ultra HD audio and video quality in every room, without any degradation.

The main lounge and master bedroom also feature Future Automation motorised screen mount and bed TV lift mechanisms respectively.

It’s worth also noting the broadband connectivity – this is a very rural part of Lancashire and a significant distance from any conurbations making connection to a mainstream provider a real challenge. The solution has been to introduce Starlink with its boast of ‘high-speed internet no matter how remote’.

So far, so good, as the connection has proved fast and dependable at any time of night and day and whatever the weather.

A Warm Glow in the Gloaming

The front entrance is a double height, triple glazed construction which, we’re told, is quite a place to stand and stare in warm seclusion when there’s a strong south westerly outside.

Feature walls here are quite different: rough plaster in earthy tones and hand-finished with gold leaf contrasts with the seamlessly smooth panels in the rest of the house.

All of the bedrooms are ensuite, the choice of bathroom tiles, furniture and lighting manages to strike an unlikely balance between uber contemporary and comfortably familiar.

All of the rooms have access to their own terrace or Juliet balcony: that luxurious cruise ship feel again? You’d better believe it. Stand on the balcony of the master bedroom and you could almost imagine you’re on a vessel that’s navigated its way up the Ribble.

And at this time of day, at this time of year, this property shows its true worth, standing proud, juxtaposed amongst its surroundings, all sharp angles cutting through mature woodlands and rolling pasture.

The external lighting to the front is a combination of Majik House’s proprietary products including up/down-lighters casting their hues onto the render and ‘grazers’ which pick out feature stonework on the hard landscaping.

It’s to the rear, however, that the lighting design really makes a statement with vertical LED fittings (created specifically for this project) spaced along weathered larch cladding of the fitness suite annexe and aside the full height windows of the main building.

The light emitted is a reassuring glow; too bright or even too low and the effect simply wouldn’t be the same, and simply wouldn’t be right. On reflection, it’s as if our visit has been perfectly timed as the deep grey northern sky of the late afternoon only adds to the experience and frames this stunning property perfectly.

The outdoor entertaining area here at the back is expansive and it isn’t hard to cast one’s imagination forward to warm summer evenings when this would be a space that’s filled with happy chatter and laughter.

There’s plenty of space for dancing, so the solution has been to edge this space with Sonance Patio Series speakers and subwoofer which can happily project music to around 100sq/m.

All’s right, right at home.

For this quite imposing property, the presence of Majik House and the technology deployed is very understated. Things happen when they should, where they should, without any fanfare or sense of occasion. For all the complex background integration and smart home know-how, it’s all very reassuring, all very welcoming and actually all very homely.

As we take our leave after an enjoyable few hours meeting the owner and appreciating what it must be like to live here, we also take away a sense that all’s well with this little corner of Lancashire.

The design of this property may not be to everyone’s taste, but we think it makes the right statement for the right reasons. It makes you think of where else in the world this house might sit; whether it’s the style or the lighting or something that you can’t quite put your finger on (or actually, can put your finger on, in the case of the Alisse controls!). Whatever it is, it’s something that makes us smile.

SELECTED KIT LIST

Lighting and Lighting Control

Majik House Mains Voltage Fixed In-Ceiling Lights (MAJ040, MAJ041XL, MAJ045)
Lutron HQP7-2 Homeworks QS2-Link Processors
Lutron LQSE-4A-D HomeworksQS – Phase Adaptive DIN Module
Lutron LQSE-4S10-D Switching DIN-Rail Power Module
Lutron PD10-64-RU10-2L4 Homeworks DIN Panel
Lutron Alisse Keypads finished in antique bronze with custom engraving

Cinema / Golf Simulator Suite

Wisdom S90i In-Wall RTL® Subwoofers
Wisdom Sage ICS7a Planar Magnetic (PMD) In-Ceiling Loudspeakers
Arcam FMJ AVR30 Dolby Atmos / DTS:X AV Receiver with Dirac Live Room Calibration
Wisdom SW-1 DSP Subwoofer Amplifiers
HD Anywhere 4K Compatible HD Extender
EIT10-1610 Motorised In-Ceiling Cinema Screen (visible 3m x 2m)
Control4 Neeo Remote and Control4 T4 Series Touchscreen
Control4 C4-EA3 Entertainment and Automation Controller

Rest of Property Audio Visual

Sonance SON-IS10 Invisible In-Wall Speakers
Sonance SON-IS8 Invisible In-Wall Speakers
Sonance VP80 Visual Performance In-Ceiling Speakers
Control4 Neeo Remotes
Control4 T4 Series Touchscreens
Samsung 65”, 55” and 43” QLED 4K HDR Smart TVs
Future Automation PSE90-CCW Motorised Articulated Screen Wall Mounts
Future Automation LSL Bed TV Lift Mechanism (master bedroom)
Araknis Networks 310 Series L2 Managed Gigabit Switch

Comms Room: Audio Visual

Sky Q Silver 2TB and Sky Q Mini
Furman F1500-UPS Uninterruptible Power Supply & Voltage Regulator (battery backup / power conditioner)
Ruckus ICX 7150-24P Ethernet Switch
HD Anywhere MHUB 4K PRO HDBaseT Matrix System with HDCP 2.2 (supporting 8x UHD 4K HDR HDMI)
Triad TS-PAMP8-100 8-Zone/16-Channel Power Amplifier
Triad TS-AMS24 24-Source, 24-Zone Audio Matrix Switch

Comms Room: Control and Network