Devon


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1001" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_02.jpg" alt="Bay House Torquay Devon designed by Roderick James Architects " class="wp-image-80015" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_02.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_02-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_02-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_02-768x513.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Move over, Rightmove! Our favourite new property scroll is the jaw-dropping case studies over on <a href="https://www.rjarchitects.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Roderick James Architects</a>. They&#8217;re the local firm that designed the fabulous new Forge Therapy floatation rooms in Totnes (mentioned in last week&#8217;s <a href="https://devon.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/latest-news/new-restaurant-spa-openings-awards-devon/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Muddy news</a>), and we&#8217;ve been eyeing up their ultra-cool, timber-framed designs ever since. Who needs bricks, when wood looks this good? One to pop on your back-burner if you&#8217;re thinking of a house move, masterminding your own house build or planning an extension. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1468" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_09.jpg" alt="detail of bedroom at Bay House designed by Roderick James Architects " class="wp-image-80017" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_09.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_09-545x800.jpg 545w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_09-681x1000.jpg 681w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_09-768x1127.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Want to see what we&#8217;ve been eye-balling? Grab a brew, get comfy, and try this for starters: <a href="https://www.rjarchitects.co.uk/bay-house" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bay House </a>in Torquay, a fabulous family home, built from green oak with soaring vaulted ceilings, the coolest mezzanine we&#8217;ve seen and a dining area to die for. And no, sadly, it&#8217;s not for sale. How about we club together and pop an offer through the letterbox. I&#8217;m in!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-through-the-keyhole">THROUGH THE KEYHOLE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="738" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_01-1000x738.jpg" alt="exterior of Bay House designed by Roderick James Architects " class="wp-image-79993" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_01-1000x738.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_01-800x590.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_01-768x567.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_01.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Yes, I <em>do</em> wish lived in a house like this. A U-shaped beauty linked by a light-filled atrium, with tall panes of glass soaring from ground to roof level, to let in the sunshine. Loving the local stone and render too, evoking the geology of the local cliffs and the moors. It&#8217;s all so naturally stylish, understated and with perfectly balanced proportions. Let&#8217;s go in and have a nose around&#8230;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-loungin-around">LOUNGIN&#8217; AROUND</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1001" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_03.jpg" alt="living room and wood stove at bay House Torquay Devon designed by Roderick James Architects " class="wp-image-79995" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_03.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_03-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_03-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_03-768x513.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Pop another log on the fire, and curl up next to those floor-to-ceiling views, why don&#8217;t you? Perfect not only for keeping you toasty, timber has great strength in its green oak beams which is brilliant supporting tall structures. In turn, that creates the potential to open up rooms into fabulous vaulted spaces and outdoor-encompassing views, worthy of a magazine shoot.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kitchen-dreaming">KITCHEN DREAMING</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1001" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_07.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-79999" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_07.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_07-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_07-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_07-768x513.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>The slate floor, the easy-clean modern worktops, the fuss-free look, we&#8217;ll take it all, thank you. But we&#8217;re totally smitten by the wooden bay to the rear of the kitchen. Crafted from green oak beams, the bay adds more space by opening out into the garden creating a light-filled dining alcove. No-one would be bickering about homework and whose turn it is to wash-up in that beautiful space. Scroll back up to the exterior picture, and you&#8217;ll see it also creates the support for a wooden balcony overlooking the garden. Juliet, eat your heart out.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-the-room">READ THE ROOM</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1983" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_10.jpg" alt="mezzanine library at Bay House Torquay Devon designed by Roderick James Architects " class="wp-image-80000" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_10.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_10-605x800.jpg 605w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_10-756x1000.jpg 756w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_10-768x1015.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_10-1162x1536.jpg 1162w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>One for bookworms! Shoring up this lovely light-filled living space, the sturdy timber frame has opened up the opportunity for a stunning mezzanine library, complete with circular staircase, built into the very fabric of the house. Shadows cast by the chunky oak-framed windows add an ever-changing dimension to the laidback decor, all adding to whimsical, natural vibe.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-frame-it-both-ways">FRAME IT BOTH WAYS </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1001" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_08.jpg" alt="Bay House Torquay Devon designed by Roderick James Architects " class="wp-image-80002" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_08.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_08-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_08-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_08-768x513.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>No sunshine? No problem. Doubling up as hallway, sitting area/sun-room, the link between the two sides of the house creates an indoor-outdoor space with comfy seats facing out on the garden. The pale oak and natural stone holds onto the heat, creating a cosy, but airy spot to retire with a coffee on rainy days to get that much-needed dose of daylight.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bed-and-boards">BED AND BOARDS</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1001" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_06.jpg" alt="bedroom at Bay House Torquay Devon designed by Roderick James Architects " class="wp-image-80004" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_06.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_06-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_06-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/09/Bay_House_06-768x513.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Modern timber homes revel in the architecture of the woodwork, but unlike ye olde houses of yore, you won&#8217;t be hitting your head on these well-considered beams! Not only do they add attractive symmetry and pattern from the wood grain, the beams make useful ledges for objet d&#8217;art and Mondrian-like frames for paintings and light fittings. The cube-like positioning could even suggest an old-fashioned four-poster bed, but with a spacious, contemporary twist. Clever or what?</p>



<p><strong><em>Tempted by timber frame? RJA work throughout the UK, as well as further abroad, and have offices in Devon, Wiltshire, and Scotland. Give them a call at <a href="https://www.roderickjamesarchitects.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Roderick James Architects LLP</a>, Discovery House, Steamer Quay Rd, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5AL;&nbsp;Email:&nbsp;<a href="https://devon.muddystilettos.co.uk/[...slug]">enquiries@rjarchitects.co.uk</a>; Tel 01803 868000</em></strong></p>



<p><strong><em>Photo credits: Colin Poole and Sapphire Spaces</em></strong></p>


Property flirt: WOOD you live in a timber-framed home?

You may also like