Cowbridge, Wales

Classic New England architecture provided the inspiration for Natalie and James Davies’ dream home in the Welsh countryside. Working closely with architect Gareth Davies, Natalie based their new home’s modern design on the clapboard style houses of America’s northeast coast.

“I’ve spent lot of time in the US and had lots of photos of the look that I what I wanted to achieve,” Natalie explains.

Flush-fitting Cedral Click in C01 White provided Natalie with the look she dreamed of. Plus, its hardwearing, low-maintenance finish made it perfect for use in Wales, where the climate can often be damp and wet.

Ideal then that Cedral facades are manufactured from durable fibre cement to withstand the harshest weather conditions and have a minimum life expectancy of 50 years. They don’t need regular repainting and won’t rot, rust, warp or crack.

“I love those New England clapboard houses, but they’re mainly built from wood,” says Natalie. “Using Cedral allowed us to get the look but without the need for high maintenance or regular repainting. We love the fact we can just wash it down when needed. We wanted the exterior to be easy to look after, have the wow factor and last a lifetime.”

Finding the right location for their new-build project was also very important to the story’s success.

“It’s an amazing plot that we fell in love with. It’s just on the outskirts of Cowbridge, so it’s walking distance to the town but with incredible views over the countryside – a dream location for a dream home.”

With the aim of making their new house feel like a holiday home – “to have that feeling you’re always in a special place,” Natalie adds – the Davies created a space for seamless indoor-outdoor living, with light-filled interiors, large verandas, an external kitchen and a fire pit.

“It’s more than just a house to us – it’s everything,” says Natalie. “For this I would recommend Cedral 100 per cent.”