The house is home to a couple and their two adult daughters; each family member needs a private space to retreat, as well as communal areas for quality time together. Irit and Zohar catered to this brief by creating a home that comprises three parts: two rectangular main volumes connected by a strip of lighter structure dubbed as ‘the shed’.

One of the most challenging parts of the design is the site’s shape, which is long, narrow and sloping. Most farmhouses near the area are located in larger plots that allow large windows overlooking the surrounding landscape.

For this project, the architects must find a way to retain privacy while bringing in the landscape, natural light and air. Irit and Zohar drew the right proportion for the building volumes by plotting the buildable area as if they were farmers ploughing the land, dividing it neatly into strips.

The main entrace is an oversize pivot door that opens up to frame the view beyond

Adhering to farmhouse typology, the volumes are kept as single-storey structures that are oriented inwards.

The house’s two main volumes feature all white-washed interior, concrete flooring and pitched ceilings with exposed structure.

The shed connecting these two volumes is constructed from lighter materials, featuring timber cladding, timber flooring, and skylights that wrap around its perimeter.

According to the architects, the idea of ‘the shed’ came from the humble sheds used by farmers to store agricultural produce or park various farming machines like tractors, harvesting machines and sowing machines.

Open to both the garden and the backyard pool, the house’s shed serves as the main feature of the house, housing the living and dining area decked with iconic designer furniture, including Cassina’s Utrecht armchairs and Vico sofa, Moooi’s Heracleum Endless chandelier, Tom Dixon’s Bell floor lamp, and Glas Italia’s Atlantis coffee table.

The volume closest to the site’s entrance houses the public and semi-public spaces, including a doctor’s consultation clinic and waiting room, a guest room, and the kitchen.

The dining room’s timber finish and Moooi’s Heracleum Endless chandelier frame the view to the kitchen.

The kitchen overlooking the pool sports cabinets with a dark finish.

The neat, modernist form of the architectural shell creates a peekaboo spatial framing.

Meanwhile, the innermost volume contains the parents’ master suite and the daughter’s living quarters, the former is separated from the latter by a courtyard occupied by an existing olive tree.

The daughters’ bedrooms are sparsely furnished, featuring only key pieces like Bonaldo’s Squaring Isola bed and Pianca’s Dedalo side table.

The sparsely furnished bedrooms and bathrooms highlights the architecture and the view outside.

The master suite, which comprises the master bedroom, master bathroom and the walk-in-wardrobe, is also sparsely furnished.

The main features in the bedrooms are the windows, which are strategically placed to best frame the vista outside.

Its few choice furniture, including some vintage timber dresser and Moorish rugs, stand out against its high ceiling and all-white walls.

The only luxury concession is a timber decking that juts out to the garden from the master bathroom, culminating in a circular whirlpool just for the parents.

The backyard is the designated area for entertaining and hosting, featuring a pool whose size rivals the house’s main volume and a sheltered dining area.

This large pool cools the air that flows on its surface into ‘the shed’, providing fresh air for the inhabitants.

Simple in its execution and stark in its articulation, this modern farmhouse is a sleek, minimalist reimagining of a traditional typology that is more than the sum of its parts.

Read Next

House Tour: A female designer & family lives in a 3-storey farmhouse in Rome, Italy

House Tour: A garage building that's transformed into a cosy home in New York

House Tour: A chef's minimalist, barn style rural holiday home for healthy cooking