Inside Architect Richard Found’s Cotswolds Retreat that Masterfully Blends Past and Present

An unanticipated rethink of plans ultimately developed a dialogue between the historical and contemporary in architect Richard Found’s stone house in the UK’s Cotswolds. The original early 19th-century gatekeeper’s cottage set on a 16-acre site of woodlands and lake was bought by architect Richard Found of London-based practice Found Associates, with plans for a county retreat for himself and his family. He had ambitious plans for a new build when a Grade 2 heritage listing scuppered any notions of demolition and instead demanded a re-think of the approach to the site. “The local planners were very keen for the cottage to remain the dominant feature on the site therefore the extension needed to be set back,” he says. No doubt, taking a deep breath, he developed a dialogue between the historical and the contemporary. “I now love the relationship between the old and new; the restrictions only made the project more interesting in my mind,” he notes. The ingenious design solution was to tuck