Three Cottages, One Home: Christian Bense’s Quiet Mastery

A ‘humble overhaul’ is how South African designer Christian Bense describes his approach to his latest project, Park House. He was given three small cottages on the Broadlands Estate in Hampshire to work with. Once a single dwelling, the cottages had been carved out, altered and extended in a higgledy piggledy layout before being rented out for several years. Now, the goal was to combine them into one functional home for a young family who were returning to the country from London.

Despite doing most of his work in the big city, Christian found the move to country houses a surprisingly easy fit. Having grown up on a farm in KwaZulu-Natal, returning to a large family home unlocked memories of his family’s own stone cottage and the various country homes he grew up visiting. ‘It was like riding a bike,’ he says. ‘You can come into a house like this and go, I know exactly how to design it. It was all an easy click.’

With two staircases, multiple front doors, various split levels of ceiling and a number of questionable modernisations to reckon with, Christian and his team faced a considerable task. ‘We always begin by establishing what is right for the house and what layout is going to give the best final product,’ he says. In this case, rationalising the layout was by no means straightforward. Rather than gutting the property in a top to-toe rebuild, Christian opted for a much gentler response. ‘We wanted to turn it back into something that was sympathetic to country life,’ he explains. That sensitivity extended not only to the setting, but to the bones of the structure itself. His focus was on bringing the classic, country architectural gems to the foreground, finding simple flow through the house through the use of cohesive colour and considering detailing. ‘It was about reinstating the structure’s character, rather than dressing up a contemporary shell as something country.

Over the years, many of the cottage’s original details and its traditional country flair had been stripped away, leaving it as a disjointed collection of rooms. Christian began reintroducing the house’s charm by drawing attention to the existing elements, highlighting the original wooden doors with splashes of colour, installing panelling in the kitchen and breakfast room, and stripping back the outdated fireplace to accentuate the architectural detailing on the flanking arches.

In place of sweeping gestures and costly cover-ups, Christian leaned on considered touches, sourced antiques and vintage items and incorporated many of the client’s existing pieces. Having worked on the couple’s London home, he was familiar with their taste, preferences and what was coming with them from the city. This ensured their essential pieces could be woven into the home without overshadowing its tone.

A rich colour palette is what anchors much of the house, with each room having a unique but subtle tonal voice. Colour is used to draw the eye to areas of the room (and perhaps away from some of the architectural imperfections) while also keeping each room connected. ‘It allowed us to give each room a sense of intentionality,’ says Christian, referring to small details such as a coloured lighting cord that speaks to the colour scheme of the room.

The colour palette also assisted Christian in subtly contemporising the house, along with a strategic use of patterns. The family did not want to completely abandon their London-life sensibilities in favour of traditional country florals, printed textiles and wallpaper. Rather, woven textiles, geometric shapes and single colours give the home a timeless yet modern edge, balanced out by country detailing such as the brass handles and endearing lace covering over a kitchen light.

Each room has been designed with a sense of multifunctionality and the objective to look good lived in. The living room’s design leans into what was an awkward L-shape, with a reading nook alongside space for the family to gather around a puzzle, board game or a drink and conversation. A more formal dining room is closely followed by the cosy breakfast room that lies in the heart of the kitchen, which clearly brings in light through internal windows that were installed.

For Christian, it is less about grandeur than it is about longevity. ‘Do it once, do it well,’ he says. What emerged from the three patchwork cottages is a home that feels grounded, gracious and timeless. It defines itself while seamlessly blending into its surrounds, neither overly polished nor disjointedly rustic. Although rooted in its setting and history, Christian’s careful work has ensured the home moves forward timelessly.

Credits

Text by Natalie Fraser

Images: Alexander James

This article was originally published in the House & Garden November 2025 Issue