Chapel Street, Donisthorpe

This is a house that makes no attempt to conform

Architecturally distinctive and beautifully individual, the design is a study in strong geometry, natural materials and light.

But perhaps the most successful aspect of the design is the way the house engages with its surroundings. To the rear, the architecture opens out dramatically. Walls of glass dissolve the distinction between inside and outside, while generous terraces, deep overhanging eaves and covered seating areas create a series of spaces in which to live, dine and entertain throughout the seasons. The result is not simply a house with large windows and impressive gardens. The two have been conceived to work together. Light moves through the building, views are carefully framed and the architecture continually draws your eye beyond the walls towards the landscape.

There is a sense that every element has been considered - from the changing roof heights and dramatic glazing to the sheltered terraces and contrasting materials. Architectural character is evident from the moment you approach the property. The striking composition of low-slung pavilion-style wings, contrasting roof heights and a dramatic central glazed tower gives the house a distinctly modernist identity.

An Individual Contemporary Home Designed Around Light, Space and the Landscape
Tucked away from prying eyes, this striking individual contemporary home is a property that feels distinctly different from the moment you arrive. Its architecture is defined by a series of clean, interconnecting forms, varied roof heights and a combination of brick, timber, textured finishes and extensive glazing. It is modern in design, but the use of natural materials gives it a warmth that makes the house feel very much like a home.

The approach is through contemporary double gates which open onto a generous driveway, providing excellent parking, turning space and access to the double garage. One side of the garage has been cleverly adapted to create a versatile home workspace, with a glazed door opening onto the gardens, a further window and a range of fitted base cabinets incorporating a sink. With light, power and heating, it would make an excellent home office, studio, beauty room or similar workspace, while the remaining garage retains its roller door.

A wide anthracite-grey entrance door leads into the central reception hallway, and it is here that the architectural character of the house really begins to reveal itself. Pine flooring runs through the reception areas, while above there is a feature glazed gallery landing walkway and vaulted two storey space creating an exceptional feeling of volume with natural light filtering down into the heart of the home.

Double doors lead through to the living room, passing through the feature atrium where a spectacular two-storey, full-height multi-paned window provides a wonderful architectural focal point and frames the rear outlook. Within the living room multiple aspects bring light into the room, while pine flooring continues underfoot and glazed sliding doors open directly onto the terrace. The terrace itself sits beneath a substantial sheltered canopy, creating an extension of the living space outside. It provides shade when the sun is strong, shelter when the weather is less predictable and, perhaps most importantly, another place from which to enjoy the garden and the views beyond.

Designed for Modern Living
The kitchen is contemporary without feeling clinical, with deep dark-blue handleless cabinetry, composite work surfaces and discreet LED lighting. A generous breakfast bar comfortably seats four and creates a natural place for everything from morning coffee to informal family meals. The limestone-flagged flooring continues into the dining and informal seating area, creating a sociable open-plan space that works equally well for everyday life or entertaining. Large VELFAC pine-framed and aluminium sliding doors draw the outside in, offering a beautiful view over the rear garden and direct access onto the extensive granite-paved terrace.

The granite terrace runs almost the full width of the property and incorporates a number of seating areas, with a substantial timber pergola providing further architectural structure and a sheltered outdoor space. Mature planted borders soften the clean lines of the house, while the garden opens dramatically beyond to approximately 240-degree views across rolling fields and surrounding countryside. The westerly aspect is particularly special. As the day draws on, the landscape becomes a backdrop to some wonderful sunsets, and a lower section of the garden has been designed specifically to take advantage of this outlook. A feature timber deck provides an elevated seating area from which to enjoy the view, while the summer house offers another peaceful retreat - somewhere to disappear to at the end of the day with a glass of wine and watch the sun go down.

A House That Reveals Itself as You Move Through It
The staircase continues the architectural theme, with a wide turning design rising through the house and the dramatic full-height glazing alongside. A further architectural surprise is found at basement level, where an exceptional amount of space provides considerable flexibility for future use. Currently offering a substantial open area, it could lend itself perfectly to a home gym, cinema room, games room or creative studio. Importantly, it also benefits from its own independent entrance opening directly back onto the rear gardens, offering exciting potential for those considering the possibility of creating a self-contained annexe or additional accommodation, subject of course to any necessary consents. At first-floor level, the gallery landing incorporates further glazed panels, giving a view back down into the reception hall and reinforcing the feeling that the different parts of the house are connected rather than simply divided into separate rooms.

There are four beautifully proportioned bedrooms at first-floor level, with the principal suite providing perhaps the most dramatic space within the house. Approached through a dedicated dressing area with bespoke fitted wardrobes, the principal bedroom opens out with high vaulted ceiling and large full width glazed picture windows and sliding doors provide stunning 180-degree views across the surrounding countryside, with the westerly orientation making this a particularly special room in which to watch the changing light throughout the day. The bedroom opens onto a glass and stainless-steel balustraded balcony beneath a contemporary canopy. It is an exceptional private vantage point, overlooking the landscape and providing the perfect place to sit as the evening unfolds.

The principal bedroom is completed by a contemporary en-suite shower room with tiled flooring and complementary wall tiling, WC, floating vanity with twin wash hand basins and pillar mixer taps, together with a generous double-width fully tiled shower enclosure with mains shower.

Bedroom two also enjoys its own private en-suite shower room, with fully tiled shower enclosure, pedestal wash basin and WC, complemented by tiled walls and flooring and a ladder-style heated towel radiator. Bedrooms three and four are served by a well-appointed family bathroom, complete with a separate shower. Bedroom four is currently arranged as a dressing room, with fitted wardrobes providing excellent storage, whilst a small feature glazed balcony adds another individual architectural touch and brings an abundance of natural light into the room.

The staircase rises once more into the heart of the central tower, culminating in a truly special fifth bedroom. This impressive double room occupies the very top of the house, with dramatic rear-facing views stretching out across the surrounding landscape. Full of character and tucked away from the main accommodation, it has a wonderfully romantic, almost Rapunzel-like quality - a secluded room at the very top of this extraordinary home.

Architecture with a Sense of Place
What makes this home particularly interesting is not simply its appearance, but the way the design works with the site. Strong horizontal rooflines contrast with the taller central element, while extensive glazing introduces natural light and continually connects the interior with the gardens and countryside.

The materials add warmth, the carefully positioned windows frame the landscape and the terraces extend the living accommodation beyond the walls of the house. It is contemporary architecture, certainly, but it is not architecture for architecture's sake. It has been designed around the way people actually live - with light, space, privacy, entertaining and the landscape all playing an important part.

The result is an exceptionally individual home with a strong architectural identity, generous and flexible accommodation and a garden setting that provides an ever-changing backdrop throughout the seasons.

Agents notes: Title contains restrictive covenants. A short section of initial driveway from the road is a shared drive.
Tenure: Freehold (purchasers are advised to satisfy themselves as to the tenure via their legal representative).
Please note: It is quite common for some properties to have a Ring doorbell and internal recording devices.
Property construction: Traditional
Parking: Drive
Electricity supply: Mains
Water supply: Mains
Sewerage: Mains
Heating: LPG central under floor heating (no mains gas)
(Purchasers are advised to satisfy themselves as to their suitability).
Broadband type: See Ofcom link for speed:
Mobile signal/coverage: See Ofcom link
Local Authority/Tax Band: North West Leicestershire District Council / Tax Band G
Useful Websites:
Our Ref: JGA/28082026
The property information provided by John German Estate Agents Ltd is based on enquiries made of the vendor and from information available in the public domain. If there is any point on which you require further clarification, please contact the office and we will be pleased to check the information for you, particularly if contemplating travelling some distance to view the property. Please note if your enquiry is of a legal or structural nature, we advise you to seek advice from a qualified professional in their relevant field.

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