On an atmospherically misty autumn day, we returned to Alderley Edge with Steve, our photographer, to capture images of a recently completed commission for Majik House.
The clouds may have been low and the constant drizzle being typical of the North West in November, but the area was looking as glorious as ever with golden and amber hues adorning the leafy lanes.
Just a short drive from the heart of the village, a family home stands nestled with its back to the woodlands that lead up to the Edge itself, a property which in recent years has undergone quite a transformation yet one which those standing at the lofty viewpoint may never know even exists.
This historic east Cheshire village regularly appears in lists of the ‘most desirable’ and ‘most expensive locations in the UK outside of London’ and is home to celebrities from the world of television and entertainment, music and sport stars.
Even writing these words, I anticipate there may understandably be connotations of elaborate and glitzy home makeovers, properties where opulence has been front and centre in any design brief, yet this family home is very much restrained in its demeanour, sitting in quiet contemplation in its location, happy to embrace the new but humble and respectful to its past incarnation.
The current owners purchased the farmhouse in 2017, a property which had already undergone a number of re-workings, extensions and modernisation over the years.
Working with NC Architecture, the plan was to retain the existing footprint and structure, making only quite modest changes to the interior floorplan, yet the final execution has created a property which sits cheek-by-jowl with the natural surroundings whilst affording all that is good in lighting control, automation and custom AV.
Externally, the main structural difference between the property of today and that of 2017 is the full height entrance; previously a heavy timber door stood front and centre, surrounded by red brick typical of the region.
Guests arriving can now see right into the entrance hall, custom-made steel and oak staircase and up to the first floor, thanks to the two-story glazed wall framed on either side by narrow timber cladding, finished in a heritage grey coat typical of traditional agricultural buildings.
The gloomy conditions on the day of our visit were perfect to appreciate the stunning feature light, with blown glass baubles that cascade down through the space and follow the drop of the staircase.
This area, however, isn’t just for the benefit of the visitor; walking down the stairs gave the feeling of descending from within the low cloud itself and straight into the countryside, the glass front door providing no discernible barrier between inside and out.
All of the living spaces are spacious; not massively spacious so as to feel like one is lost, but generous enough to allow plenty of space for both people and the owner’s furniture – both modern and vintage – to sit in comfortable harmony.
These spaces are enhanced by Majik House’s lighting design which is controlled by Control4 throughout the home, a tried and tested solution which effortlessly allows control of single or multiple rooms, or even the whole house at the touch of a button.
Tim Burrow, Founder and MD at Majik House, was responsible for the lighting design and control, and the custom AV installation on this project:
“Just about every room benefits from full-height glazing and is therefore bathed in natural light, so a primary focus of our lighting design would be to enhance what was already there and create scenes would make it still feel like the outdoors was within arm’s reach.”
Behind the property is where this is best demonstrated; family living rooms, dining areas, bedrooms and the master bathroom all feature sliding full-height windows facing onto the rear Zen-inspired garden complete with Corten steel geometric arches which have adopted their warm-rust patina.
This secluded space is complete with gently cascading illuminated water feature made from natural stone and slate, the vibrant foliage of acer, fatsia japonica, young conifers and mosses picked-out by carefully positioned ground lighting which, like the waterfall, is controlled via the Control4 system within the home.
The rear garden is very modest in comparison to the sweeping front, with the woodlands leading up to Alderley Edge only around 30-feet from the building, yet this natural backdrop has been utilised to the full and provides a living and ever-changing extension to the home.
Take a soak in the master bathroom and we envisage one might lose themselves in the leafy canopy which feels tantalisingly close to the bathtub, even more so once the windows are fully opened.
“We think the property has a real calmness about it, at peace with itself and its place in the world, somewhere that nothing should be hurried or rushed. With the Control4 lighting control, changes to the lighting happen at a pace which feels in-tune with the building – no sudden switch from dark to light, just a soft transition with everything happening as you’d expect.”
“The majority of the LED light fittings we installed are from our own Majik House range which we first designed and manufactured back in 2015. They are specifically created to work with leading lighting control systems such as Lutron, Rako and Control4, and can deliver the smooth transitions and colour temperature for the different scenes our clients wish to achieve.”
The house certainly has a lovely ‘flow’ and is somewhere that one feels happy to wander, to be at ease and without the need to be rushed, helped in no part by the views of Cheshire farmland to the front and ancient woodland to the rear.
The AV elements of the property are, as you might expect, both visible (television screens and Bowers & Wilkins ‘Anniversary’ floor-standing speakers powered by an Arcam 2-channel amplifier in the office-cum-snug) and discreet, the latter being the use of Monitor Audio in-ceiling speakers.
Jit Mistry, Sales Director at Majik House, was behind the control and AV design and installation: “Once again we have utilised Control4 for the operation of everything in the home, from TV to audio to lighting and security; should they wish, the owners can control everything from a single remote – in this instance, the Neeo Remote – along with wall-mounted touch pads and mobile devices also utilised for their convenience.”
The heating is also afforded the same user-first approach with a Heatmiser® Neo system with wall-mounted touchscreens introduced for control of under floor heating and radiators.
The Wi-Fi network supporting the AV installation is courtesy of Ruckus, including indoor and outdoor APs which feature BeamFlex+ adaptive antenna technology to deliver high-speed Wi-Fi in a sleek design that can be discretely installed.
A single story ‘limb’ extending from the main house has been converted into a temperature regulated wine store alongside a home office, gym and garage. It is the use of the roof space above which really elevates this portion of the property where a roof terrace has been created, perfect for entertaining on a balmy summer’s evening – yes, we do occasionally get those, even here in the North West!
The roof terrace houses a stainless steel kitchen that any professional chef would be delighted to work with, and also a bespoke brick pizza oven alongside enough seating for a baker’s dozen.
To help set the right ambience, Majik House chose Sonance Patio Series speakers which are perfectly happy to be outside through all seasons and deliver impressive fidelity which belies their discreet and compact appearance.
Here on the roof terrace and all around the exterior, lighting is once again from the Majik House range with LED uplighters, downlighters and a combination of both casting across the red brick and wood.
And at the end of our visit, there was a tangible difference in our demeanour; the morning’s journey had been a grey and wet hour driving down the M6 yet the journey home had the feeling one might expect after a day spent relaxing at a country spa.
We’re not for one moment suggesting that the lighting and custom AV installation by Majik House can offer restorative properties, but on this damp and grey Cheshire day this quite delightful and understatedly impressive property had provided safe sanctuary from the elements and demonstrated how modern and traditional, man-made and nature, can work together to provide a quietly exceptional family home.
CLIENT TESTIMONIAL
“Having worked previously with Majik House on a much smaller project, we felt confident that they would be able to deliver spectacularly on our whole house refurb. They took on-board our ethos of having a high tech home which incorporates and reflects minimalistic design. Everything can be controlled by simple clicks either from within the home or away.
Our rural setting means we wanted to bring the outside in and vice versa; through working with Majik House, we can preset our lighting to our own personalised configurations for different times of the day.
With frequent amendments and queries from us, no request is ever too much trouble with this company.”
