Chapel conversion to a modern home in Dorset

Hart transformed the interior of this chapel into a beautiful and refined living space. The two most attention-grabbing features are twin steel spiral staircases that rise to sleeping pods at each end of the chapel, secluded behind wood panelling. This vaulted sleeping accommodation – with its cosy ‘alpine log cabin’ feel – provides an escape from the grandeur of the chapel’s living space below.

Outside, we sympathetically reintroduced the original brick wall facing the garden (lost during previous renovation works carried out in the 1950s), and returned the original window that had been stored at the property for 60 years. All the stained-glass windows have been restored to their former beauty and, together with the naked whitewashed walls, create a light and open ground floor.

The space is heated by a log burner with a dramatic high flue that runs up to roof height, plus underfloor heating in a large concrete slab. The open-plan kitchen/living space features a local handmade free-standing kitchen and Scandinavian-inspired furnishings.

The design remains sympathetic to the original chapel while carefully introducing a modern steel and oak framework that complements the original features – a seamless combination of past and present. It’s clear evidence that simple creative design can produce such a practical and pleasing result without diminishing the soul of the building.