Sitting in the exposed expanse of the Cambridgeshire fens, the Stealth Barn is a bold, simple form, reminiscent of the barn it accompanies. Built as a guest house, studio or meeting place, depending on time of year and workloads: the Stealth Barn is also a retreat, a place of inspiration and enjoyment.

Placed perpendicular to the existing barn, it stands to create and define a slightly more sheltered and casual garden which melts into the fens, a hint at the memory of a former farm yard. Stealth Barn is a sharp black mass – a shadow of the adjacent barn or a silhouette on the horizon. It is a robust exterior wrapped with a restricted palette, devoid of fussy detail, and formed to withstand its exposed position.

The interior inverts this toughness through the use o warmer OSB wrapping fully around the space to form angles reminiscent of the adjacent barns divided with straw bales. It creates an immersive interior landscape.

The Stealth Barn was shortlisted for the Architect’s Journal Small Projects 2012.

Photography by Damian Russell, Tim Crocker and Jeremy Phillips

Sometimes, less really is more – and architectural necessities designed to be hidden can become clever accents and integrated decor. At just a few thousand dollars, this live-and-work residence for an architect-and-artist makes the most out of a small interior space and necessary accessories, with gorgeous results.

The single most compelling (and unifying) design element is a less-than-likely choice by Guilherme Torres: a series of cable-carrying tubes that interconnect the interior electrical system. Curving lines converge, diverge and terminate along clearly-planned paths, joining in junction boxes then splitting off and traveling around the home again. Hiding these would have cost far more than what has been done here, where they are exposed and treated as part of the overall aesthetic of each room.

Bare concrete walls and built-ins are balanced by a few detailed antiques, like a hanging chandelier and old wooden wardrobe. Black- and white-painted areas as well as exposed brick offer further material variety, without requiring any serious structural work – most is left as it was, while painting a new layer is relatively easy.

Recessed lighting set against a white exterior, entered from a contrasting black room, makes the closet appear refined and elegant, but a drop-down panel is not difficult nor expensive to suspend.

There are a number of lessons to be taken from this architectural-and-artistic experiment, but perhaps most of all: when shopping at the hardware store, consider the palette of materials before you – particularly the items you plan by default to stow secretly in the wall (often at great expense). Could these take the place of other interior design objects?