Leaf-shaped roofs with plant-covered steel stems define this off-grid house in the Cotswolds, UK, designed by architecture studio Michaelis Boyd. Aptly named 'Leaf House', the home in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty was designed by Michaelis Boyd's co-founder, Alex Michaelis, for his own family. Can you imagine a house inspired by plants and nature? Architecture is getting plantier more and more every day!
Leaf-Inspired Home by Michaelis Boyd Sits in the Cotswolds Landscape
Described by Michaelis as "deeply grounded in its context", the home's leaf shape emerged not only in reference to the surrounding woodland but also as a means of offering 360-degree views and natural light to its predominantly glazed interiors. It comprises a main dwelling with a leaf-shaped plan and a neighbouring annexe called the Long Barn.
Leaf House is inspired by the simple, organic form of two leaves resting together to create an oval shape. The internal plan is made up of organic forms, natural materials, and a sense of being embedded and connected with the landscape.
Topped by planting and featuring gently upturned, white-rendered soffits, the leaf-shaped roofs of the home define two storeys that are clad in locally quarried stone. To the east, two steel 'stems' extend from the base of these roofs, which Michaelis explains was a gesture to symbolically anchor the home to its site. Gradually, these steel sections will be overgrown with climbing plants.
Entrances That Enthrall the Eye
A double-height, skylit entrance corridor divides the home's ground floor into two halves. This includes a living area to the east and a kitchen and dining space to the west, both of which overlook the landscape through full-height windows and open onto small decked terraces. Each end of the interior is flanked by a pair of small glazed rooms or what Michaelis calls 'biophilic buffers'. These in-between spaces help regulate heat loss and gain, and are planted with lemon trees on the south-facing sunny side and ferns to the north.
Above, the main bedroom occupies the entire western half of the slightly smaller first floor and looks west through a large, curved window, while two children's bedrooms with skylit ensuite bathrooms are positioned in the eastern half. Throughout, the internal walls and ceilings of Leaf House have been finished in clay plaster, with edge treatments and window frames kept as minimal as possible to emphasise the curving geometry and views.
Materiality is guided by contextual sensitivity, sustainability, and a desire for warmth and tactility. Clayworks plaster creates a soft, natural interior surface to the natural form spaces with all edges taken away, while Dinesen wide-panel oak is used throughout the ground floor for its rich texture and tonal warmth.
Within this long, narrow space is a home office with a mezzanine, a yoga studio, and two guest suites, lined entirely in Douglas fir timber to match the exterior and illuminated by high porthole windows. Not to say the house is surrounded by greenery, nature, and the most peaceful environment.
Sustainable Matters for the House
To top off the amazing leaf-shaped home, sustainability bits are also present throughout the house. Solar panels on the roof of the annexe generate electricity for the home, allowing it to function off-grid. Meanwhile, air-source heat pumps are used for hot water and heating, while a bolehole provides water, and a Klargester tank at the bottom of the field breaks down waste.
An awesome house inspired by nature.
Photos: @james_macdonald_photography
