Frieth, Henley-on-Thames, RG9

This 3519 sq ft house occupies a good size plot with ample parking and attractive Mediterranean-style gardens.

Sable House was designed in a collaboration between Connected Architecture and Heinz Richardson of Buro Nineteen and was the winner of the Chilterns Building Design Awards in 2021, and also featured in Grand Designs Magazine. The house is notable for its sustainable and energy efficient design taking principles from 'passivhaus' tech, featuring triple glazing throughout, high levels of insulation, airtight construction, LED lighting and a rainwater harvesting system. A slide accompanies the stylish wood and glass staircase; contrasting wood panels cover the elevations; a west-facing terrace perfectly oriented for evening entertaining and the first-floor bedrooms angled to enjoy the spectacular south-facing views.

The L-shaped house is arranged over two storeys, with a layout designed for maximum flow through the accommodation. This design also helps to promote the feeling of natural light, which is directed into the house via impressive floor-to-ceiling windows on the ground floor and large windows upstairs. The light walls and floors emphasise this and the house feels fantastically airy and bright.

At the front of the house, an enormous open plan kitchen, dining room and sitting room dominates the space and offers a fabulous area in which to spend time as a family or entertain friends. The sitting area is divided from the kitchen by a half wall inset with a modern wood-burning stove, while the kitchen, with its marble-topped breakfast bar, sleek, unobtrusive cabinetry and premium appliances, feels exceptionally high quality. A wall of sliding glazed doors separates the living area from the garden, opening it up to outside space in the warmer months. Also on the ground floor there's a snug/TV room, an en suite bedroom/office, boot room, cloakroom and W.C. Upstairs the bedrooms are on the southerly and westerly elevations, to best enjoy the views. Of the five bedrooms three are en suite, while the remaining two share a family bathroom.

The house is well situated squarely in the plot, with 360-degree access all around. A gated entrance with both pedestrian and vehicle gates open to a large driveway with ample off-street parking and a detached double carport with sedum roof to increase the biodiversity of the gardens and a rainwater harvesting tank under the driveway which stores water from house roof. Most of the outside space is situated to the rear, where there is a large, west-facing terrace with space for garden furniture, sheltered within the L-shape of the building. The garden is well established with a wildflower meadow enclosing a level lawn which extends to a boundary of woodland and a garden shed at the rear.

Sable House is located in the village of Frieth, in the upper reaches of the Hambleden Valley. Lane End and Marlow are both nearby offering everyday amenities and shops. The area is renowned for its education with a broad choice of schools both private, grammar and state schools. Of particular note is Sir William Borlase Grammar school in Marlow. Communications in the area are excellent with the M40 lying to the north and east providing fast driving times into London and to the north, as well as Heathrow. There is also an excellent train service from High Wycombe (around 5 miles) with fast trains into London Marylebone taking from 27 minutes. To the south, Maidenhead (about 10.2 miles away) provides a good train service into Paddington.