A Japandi-style oak frame family in Warwickshire
After thirteen years of working with us and nine oak framed homes delivered through his own building company, Sam Taylor knew exactly he wanted. Together with his wife Fran, they transformed a tight sloping garden plot in suburban Warwickshire into a contemporary Japandi-inspired oak framed family home where smart design and natural materials take centre stage.
Project Details
- Warwickshire
- 2025
- Bespoke
- Contemporary
- 4
Finding the right plot
The story begins with the house next door, a home Sam built more than a decade ago using an Oakwrights frame. "During the build, we became quite friendly with the owner and the neighbours in the area," he explains. Years later, when Sam and Fran began looking for a site to build their own home, one of those neighbours offered them a slice of their garden. "We approached Oakwrights to help us with planning and the design." says Sam.
It wasn't an obvious building plot. Sloping, relatively tight and with restricted access, an existing brick wall and mature tree at the front that Sam and Fran were determined to retain, the site came with plenty of constraints.
Securing planning permission
Though the plot was tricky, Sam and Fran saw the potential in turning a section of their neighbour's garden into a spacious 4-bedroom two storey home and garage that sits naturally within its surroundings of rolling fields and countryside.
The design is based on a home we had already designed for a previous client that Sam discovered at an open day locally in Warwickshire. Sam and Fran worked together with one of our Architect's, Dan Reeves, to adapt the design to fit the very tight plot.
Working with our Architectural Team to unlock their difficult site through careful planning and smart design, planning permission for a large family home was secured, proving that great self-build opportunities can exist in suburban locations.
Working with the Oakwrights team
Although Sam has extensive building experience through his company Valla Homes, things were a little different this time around. Having spent years working successfully with us to build client homes, this time he was working with our team to create a bespoke oak framed family home of his own.
Sam recognised the value in working with our teams to deliver a completely unique and carefully crafted comfortable oak framed home that met his family's needs, through a process of clever design and meticulous planning.
Choosing to build with oak
With many Oakwrights homes already under his belt- including this tranquil timber framed home overlooking the River Thames- Sam instinctively knew the benefits of building with oak. Sam and Fran's oak framed home provides the warmth and character the couple wanted, while a more contemporary architectural approach keeps the overall feel clean and understated.
"The oak really makes it feel cosy and warm. You feel almost cocooned in it," says Fran.
Internal key design features
Inside, the style is distinctly Japandi. "It's the modernness of the Scandi, but with the warmth and the textures of the Japanese style," explains Fran. It's a style that beautifully balances aesthetics and practicality- perfect for their contemporary family home.
Whilst colour is deliberately restrained, the thoughtful use of texture creates interest through exquisite natural materials such as silk wallpaper, textures fabric tiles, oak clad ceilings and the oak frame itself. "We wanted something plain to the eye, but still had a little bit of texture to it," says Sam.
The heart of the home
The kitchen is deliberately simple, with hand-veneered and bookmatched timber cabinetry and a single slab marble island with a hob fitted flush into the stone worktop. Their bespoke staircase brings together more refined details with French cane and oak timber. It gives the balustrade a softer, more tactile alternative to glass but also lets in lots of light with sight of the view beyond.
The generous cosy sitting is designed around family life, with acoustic wall panels, concealed speakers and a double-sided fireplace that allows the family to enjoy the fire whilst remaining connected to the adjoining spaces. Crittall-style windows continue from overlooking their garden through to the inside, gracefully connecting living spaces whilst retaining privacy.
Bedrooms designed around sleep and family life
Upstairs, their impressive vaulted oak frame master bedroom has a centrally positioned bed, built-in storage and a ceiling lined in oak. Each bedroom has concealed remotely operated blackout window blinds for a good night's sleep.
The children's rooms are full of personality. Their daughter's room took inspiration from a bottle of essential eucalyptus oil she'd pinned to the wall of her old bedroom. Her new bedroom is adorned in a delicate leafy wallpaper, stretching up to a playful den in the eaves.
The showstopper of their son's bedroom is the large Crittall-style windows in the oak framed gable, perfectly framing the mature tree outside where with mum Fran they birdwatch together. "His bedroom is my favourite. You feel almost like you're in the tree," says Fran.
External key design features
Externally, Sam and Fran's home takes a more contemporary direction. "We wanted more of a contemporary feel, so we introduced Crittall between the face glazed windows, and ran that look throughout all the doors," says Sam. The dark framed glazing creates a strong visual connection with the outside, while Siberian larch cladding, treated to retain its silver tone, gives the exterior a beautifully subtle natural finish.
From the beginning, the house and garden were designed together with landscape and garden designer Sara Edwards (who happens to be a former Oakwrights employee), to create a seamless inside-outside living environment and a true extension of their home. Brick paths lead gently into natural Hungarian stone around the swimming pool with an Egyptian limestone terrace.
The couple have also helped protect the wider landscape beyond the garden. Sam, Fran and their neighbours jointly purchased thirteen acres of land and planted trees, hedges and wildflowers. “We wanted to protect it and create an area for wildlife,” says Sam, confirming how even suburban plots can provide a strong connection to nature.
Sam and Fran's top tips for self-builders
Build in the storage from day one “When you move into a house, the storage isn’t specific for you and a lot of the time it’s lacking completely,” says Fran. “When you have the opportunity to do it from scratch, you can make the storage fit for purpose.”
Find your key person “Get somebody on board who has a good understanding from concept through to how things develop on site, and who takes ownership of all the processes right to finish,” says Sam. “I’ve heard so many horror stories where somebody has passed the blame on to somebody else.”
