Holly Water Cabin
Architect: Out of the Valley
Location: Devon, England
Type: Cabin
Year: 2021
Photographs: Rupert McKelvie, Stephanie Osmond
The following description is courtesy of the architects. Holly Water was built as a self-contained holiday retreat in the heart of Devon, UK, for clients keen to diversify their farmland. They sought to create a space that would invite its inhabitants into a close relationship with the outdoors, while also providing the utmost comfort.
Approached via a path that winds through a corn field, Holly Water is clad in cedar sourced from a mill
local to our Dartmoor workshop. Its exterior is characterised by a large mono pitched roof with generous
eaves. The building is constructed around a Douglas fir frame, raised off the ground on pier foundations
in order to minimise the need for concrete. It is highly insulated – with plant-based insulation – and with
a high specification of membrane and envelope details for longevity and energy efficiency.
Rupert McKelvie 
Rupert McKelvie
Inside, an oak kitchen occupies the back wall of the open-plan interior, while a bathroom and cosy sleeping
area with double bed are tucked into the gable elevation. Sliding doors open from the living space
onto a sweeping larch veranda with a copper tub in which to bathe amongst nature.
Interior walls are covered in a clay render – a natural alternative to plaster which helps maintain a breathable building envelope and regulate humidity and temperature, and also provides a pleasing organic
texture. The natural materials used throughout offer a calm colour palette that harmonises with the surrounding landscape.
Revenue from letting Holly Water to holidaymakers is facilitating the rewilding of the 4.5 acre field
around the cabin, in order to bring diversity back to the land and welcome new wildlife.
Project Details
- Project Name: Holly Water Cabin
- Location: Devon, U.K
- Materials:
- Douglas Fir structure – external & internal
- Larch veranda – external
- Cedar cladding – external
- Jute insulation (envelope) – envelope
- Clay plaster (internal) – internal
- Oak floor, joinery and built in furniture – internal
- Copper bath – external
- Corrugated roof – external
Project Credits
- Project Director: Rupert McKelvie
- Project Architect: Luke Carnaby
- Structural Engineer: Barry Honeysett
- Team Members: Nathan Hilton, William Holland, Chris Gee, Jonno Cole
- Glazing: Tim Gaodin
- Client: Private
