Daytrip transforms 1990s Somerset farmhouse into warm countryside retreat

London-based interior design and architecture studio Daytrip, founded by Iwan Halstead and Emily Furniss Potter, renovated Springfield Farm, a 1990s house by architect Max Aitken in a Somerset hamlet near Bath. The project turned the 250 sq m property into a second home with warm interiors, bespoke pieces, Scandinavian classics, and a 12m-long swimming pool surrounded by wildflower meadows. The studio added tactile materials like wide oak flooring, dark cherry timber, travertine, and bronze finishes to soften the original architecture. A fire damaged the house just before completion, forcing Daytrip to revisit and refine parts of the scheme. The living spaces open onto terraces and gardens with large glazed doors; midcentury-inspired wood veneers, shearling seating by Dagmar, and glass and brass wall lights by Max Ingrand create a cozy atmosphere. Artworks by East London artists from Partnership Editions, including Katrina Lalic and Mary West, are displayed throughout. A 3m-high bronze chandelier by Joe Armitage serves as a focal point in the stairwell. Landscape designer Pollyanna Wilkinson developed tiered planting with grasses, Nepeta, Gaura, and perennials around the pool terrace and orchard.