RILUXA CLIENT PROJECTS

How a Sustainable Sussex Woodland Home Came to Fruition

Picture a beautiful woodland clearing surrounded by lush vegetation and bursting with wildlife. What would you do if you were to come across it? 

A Sussex couple have taught us that if your imagination runs as wild as the woodlands surrounding it, extraordinary things can come of it. Thanks to their creativity, ambition and boldness, Charlie and Nick (Root to Branch) have turned 3½ acres worth of land into a charming, eco-friendly woodland paradise.

We caught up with Charlie who explained the thinking, the strategy and the journey behind the home she shares with her beautiful, growing family.

First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself: are you a private homeowner or a design professional, where do you live and what led you to build your own home? 

My name is Charlie, I’m a private homeowner and I live in Sussex, England with my partner Nick and our little boy. We are also expecting a baby girl any time soon!

For 8 years we had been living on a houseboat in Docklands, London, but recently decided that we wanted to make the move to Sussex where we have friends - and keep horses. We spent a lot of time searching the area for the perfect family home but none of them were right for us. One day, the idea of searching for plots of land came to me and that’s when we found the most idyllic 3½ acres which would allow us to create the most beautiful woodland home. This suited us much better: having a private lane means there’s no through traffic and our family space is tranquil all year round.

How would you describe the house?  

Though building our very own home from the ground up was never in the original plans, when the idea emerged we were keen to create a home that would be both modern and as eco-friendly as possible. And with the help of our architect and an energy consultant, we were able to make this dream a reality!

Durable and sustainable Accoya wood was used to clad the entire home.

To give you an idea of the eco-friendly features that we incorporated in our house, we have a flat sedum grass roof which is not only a great insulator making our house more energy efficient but also attracts the birds and the bees encouraging biodiversity. We’ve integrated an air source heat pump which supports all our heating requirements and reduces our energy consumption. An MVHR (mechanical ventilation heat recovery) system turbo charges the house’s energy efficiency by moving heat around the house and keeping the air fresh. Lastly, we installed solar panels linked to a Tesla Powerwall for a constant supply of renewable energy, making us less dependent on electricity companies.

In addition to our eco objectives, we wanted our house to be modern, elegant and to feel like a welcoming and calm sanctuary which allowed the woodland setting to shine. We chose an open-plan, minimalist design with plenty of glass to keep the house bright and light-filled. We clad the house with a bespoke stained Accoya wood to complement our windows frames and create an effect that blended with our surroundings. One of my favourite elements of the interior design (and a great idea from our architects) is the plant trough at the top of the staircase which brings the outdoor inside even more.

The plant trough (above) and the pale wood cabinetry of the kitchen (below) create a light, airy and inviting sensation, connecting the house to its woodland setting.

Tell us about your project - what were your inspirations, did it go as you expected and did you have any unpleasant surprises on the worksite?

I always drooled over the house projects you see in Grand Designs, Dwell etc. Olson Kundig is probably my favourite architect and I took lots of inspiration from their projects and how they work with nature. I’m always blown away by some of the projects you see in countries like the US and Australia where they have a bit more space to play with and seem to have more of an appetite for self-build.

We had planned to break ground a lot earlier than January 2021, but between a pandemic and giving birth to our first child, this was a bit tricky! When we did start, Covid/Brexit-related material shortages quickly became an issue (as well as that pesky blockage of the Suez Canal!) as well as the pressure of everyone renovating their homes at the same time making supplies harder to access than usual.

Despite all this, 14 months later we only have the finishing touches left to complete and we couldn’t be happier with how our project has turned out. Our builder was brilliant at problem solving along the way and keeping momentum up.

The finished house in all its glory, as seen from the woods in the evening.

Tell us the story of your Riluxa relationship - how you found us and what your experience was?  

The search for a vanity unit that I liked for our master ensuite, but that would also fit under a sloping bathroom ceiling, was proving to be quite a nightmare: I didn’t want an off-the-high street design but equally didn’t want to go down the complicated and expensive route of a bespoke commission. When I found Riluxa after typing a few simple keywords into Google, I was very relieved that such a perfect middle ground existed!

What I love about Riluxa is that there is an abundance of designs already available to choose from with the option of tailor-making the pieces to your specific dimensions, colour preference and finish.

Overall, I had a really positive shopping experience with Riluxa and I was particularly impressed with the customer service as well as the prompt delivery which allowed us to get our “toddler escape room” (as it’s fondly called) finished within our schedule. In my opinion, the bathroom pieces are sold at a very fair price and the quality is outstanding.

Riluxa products used: a Cassiopeia Plus Wall-Mounted Double Washbasin in Corian® Colour Verdant and a custom-made 4-drawer cabinet similar to our Artemis 6-Drawer Cabinet.

What products did you buy from us and what attracted you to them?

The two main showstoppers in this room are from Riluxa: the Cassiopeia washbasin in verdant green and the wooden cabinets. Since our flooring, walls and ceiling are covered in a soft grey microcement, it was important to have bathroom furniture that worked well in this unique surrounding. This is why we chose a fresh teal colour which packs a punch and captivates the attention.

As for the design, a trough sink is the style you tend to find in a boutique hotel; they never fail to add a sense of luxury and grandness and I love the communal aspect of this design which allows me to share this washbasin with my partner, without compromising on personal space. Made of Corian, it also provides a very solid design and we love the smooth finish.

The shower skylight bathes the room with natural light, while highlighting the beautiful texture of the microcemented walls.

The bathroom is the one room in a house that allows you to shut away from the rest of the world. That’s why I wanted to create a space that felt indulgent and I would always enjoy using, where I could pamper myself without any guilt. I’m over the moon with the finished result of this bathroom and always look forward to treating myself to a warm relaxing shower or a long soothing bath.

Is there anything else you’d like to convey to our readers? Any advice for future customers wanting to create their dream bathroom?

Bathrooms can be a tricky space to design, there’s not a huge amount of choice on the market and it’s easy to fall back on run-of-the-mill styles. My recommendation would be to think about how to make this space your own, be bold and enjoy the design process. At the end of the day, your bathroom needs to be a place where you want to spend your quality time in!

To follow the progress of Charlie’s woodland house directly, check out her beautiful Instagram account: @root_to_branch.

If you would like your bathroom project to be featured on Riluxa's Client Projects Showcase, tag #riluxa @riluxa on Instagram or upload your images directly by clicking here. We love nothing more than seeing how our customers have used Riluxa products to create their dream bathrooms!