Beasley Dickson Architects were commissioned to design a generously sized family house in the village of Benenden in the Weald AONB in Kent. Sited in the middle of a large sloping plot, the splayed plan engages in the round, with a stepped mass diminishing its volume on the horizon. The ground floor looks over the mature northern woodland and southern reinstated orchard, upstairs expansive views stretch over the Weald and Kent Down AONB beyond. The generous surroundings are exploited with active elevations that steal views through countless windows. To balance the busy facades, the architecture is subtly detailed, given a physical coherence with a restrained and repetitive natural material palette: clad in iroko that will weather evenly to pale grey, windows and doors formed in white oiled Douglas fir or anodised aluminium, floors in oak or Belgian limestone and joinery in Douglas fir and oak. The boomerang plan is a tale of two halves: two owners, living and working, morning and afternoon, public and private, exposed and protected. Devised for a retired couple the house functions to suit quiet times and large family gatherings, expanding and contracting with seasons, activities and visitors. The front door and hall bisect the house, anchored by a curved steel and oak staircase. The two arms of the plan continuously conversing with each other, ever visible from one part of the building to another, with glimpses to the landscape beyond framed by the architecture. Open plan living spaces spread across the ground floor; the kitchen and glass room overlook the woodland; the drawing room, music room and utility flanked by the orchard and driveway. More conventional cellular bedrooms and studies are arranged at 1st floor. Photos by Agnese Sanvito.