Interiors: life on the riverbank - in pictures

Sarah Featherstone and Jeremy Young’s house is nestled at the head of a valley in a hamlet in the Brecon Beacons, south Wales. Surrounded by trees, and with a river flowing past the garden, it feels completely part of the glorious countryside that surrounds it. “We wanted to be as close to a river as possible, to see and hear it all the time,” Featherstone says. “It’s a massive part of living here. We kayak, and fish for salmon and trout from the riverbank.” → Photograph: Brotherton/Lock

The plot was the last in the hamlet that would lend itself to a new house. Planning permission stipulated a traditional cottage, but their design, based on a Welsh long house and using local slate and stone in a modern way, was approved. “The surroundings and location shaped the design. We wanted it to be all about the outdoors,” says Featherstone, who with Young runs architecture practice Featherstone Young. → Photograph: Brotherton/Lock

To achieve this, their home is cantilevered, so the main living space hovers above the river, a dramatic mirrored underbelly reflecting the grass below. Conservation rules stipulated that they weren’t allowed to build within six metres of the riverbank, but the elevated living area gets around this, while still protecting the wildlife. Floor-to-ceiling windows filled with foliage create a sense of being part of the landscape; and the timber columns that support them are the same size as the tree trunks outside, creating a continuity between inside and out. “They almost blur,” Featherstone says. “You get the shadows of leaves on the walls, and it feels as if you’re floating among the trees. When they lose their leaves, the house has a completely different feel: you get longer views down the river and it feels starker, but in a lovely way.” → Photograph: Brotherton/Lock

The interior is simple: cedar wall panelling, wooden floors, and an open-plan kitchen/dining area, the latter with a window seat that overlooks the couple’s vegetable beds outside. The bench and the table top on trestles are by ­Matthew Hilton; the ­pendants are Tom ­Dixon’s Beat lights; and wooden chairs from eBay are paired with a DSW Eames chair. → Photograph: Brotherton/Lock

The living room is centred around a black suspended fireplace (from fireorb.net), low Muji sofas, throws, pouffes and sheepskins. Donna ­Wilson’s colourful ­Motley ­ottoman sits alongside a collection of bright cushions and throws; try Melin ­Tregwynt for similar. → Photograph: Brotherton/Lock

A separate wing has three bedrooms, all facing the river, and a sedum roof. Splashes of colour, such as a pink bathroom and pink carpet in the master bedroom, are tempered with swaths of green from countryside views. “We’ve used different ceiling heights and floor levels,” Featherstone points out. → Photograph: Brotherton/Lock

They have left the garden wild: one of its loveliest features is hidden seating by the riverbank at a spot where an old mill wheel used to be. A more manicured plot sits outside the dining area, complete with foxgloves and gravel. → Photograph: Brotherton/Lock

A balcony with floor-to-ceiling doors spills out from the kitchen and living room: it captures the sun from lunchtime onwards, and is perfect for barbecues, eating alfresco, sundowners and star-gazing; the pair wrap themselves in Welsh blankets and sit outside on clear nights. “It’s magical,” Featherstone says. “All you can hear is the bubbling river below.” Photograph: Brotherton/Lock