Templeton Ford builds multigenerational home that reinterprets archetypal Sussex houses

[Celerity]

https://www.dezeen.com/2026/01/22/clay-rise-house-templeton-ford/









A curvy three-tiered roof tops the red brick and tile walls of Clay Rise, a house designed and built by the founders of British studio Templeton Ford in southeast England for their own family. Architect Andre Templeton Ford and interior stylist Jessica Templeton Ford designed the residence in a village in West Sussex for themselves, their young children and Andre's parents.











Clay Rise, Templeton Ford's debut project, is a contemporary spin on the varied brick architecture of the local village, which includes archetypal homes to decorative Arts and Crafts-style buildings. The material palette is traditional, with clay bricks forming the base of the walls, and the upper walls clad in a matching clay tile. Clay tiles also cover the roofs, but the sweeping forms give these elements a more unusual profile.











Andre Templeton Ford said that design provided a way of creating character while adhering to planning restrictions that limited the heights of eaves and gutter lines, as well as the overall building height. "The sweeping roof form emerged as a playful response to the local context and planning constraints," he told Dezeen. "It became a way to give the building a strong visual identity without increasing its apparent scale."













The couple chose a prefabricated timber frame system to enable a speedy and precise assembly process despite the curved geometry. This was crucial for Andre Templeton Ford, who oversaw the construction, reducing the on-site build time to just two weeks. "Prefabrication was central to the project's efficiency and delivery," he said. "As an architect also taking on the role of contractor, it provided a high level of cost and programme certainty, particularly for the erection of the superstructure."

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[1WorldHope]

1. Yes please, I would like this house very much.

[highplainsdem]

2. It's an attractive house, but they're obviously counting on the older couple being able to manage stairs

and outdoor steps for quite a while.

[quaint]

3. So lovely.

If I was a rich woman...

[democrank]

4. What a gorgeous place.

Such a natural, peaceful look