The Foxes Maltings: Q&A With Owner-Builders Zara and Giuliano
Set amongst the unspoilt countryside and beautiful rolling hills of the Lincolnshire Wolds, The Foxes Maltings is a remarkable modern redesign of a 19th-century malt house.
Given the sheer size and intricate details of the home, you might be surprised to discover the majority of the build was completed by a couple with no prior construction experience. Not only that, but it was finished two months early and a massive £75,000 under budget. It features an enormous statement glass portal, soaring ceilings, a 30-metre pergola frame, and a generous, restaurant-size kitchen and dining room.
We sat down with Zara Findlay, 31, and Giuliano Rapoz, 29, owner-builders of The Foxes Maltings, to discover exactly what went into building their dream home from the ground up.
What was the inspiration behind The Foxes Maltings?
The initial inspiration was always a large, barn-like countryside property that also had modern architectural elements included, such as large glazed areas to make the home bright and airy. When we stumbled across the initial designs for the malthouse, we discovered that they are very similar in shape and form to threshing barns with long linear footprints.
From sourcing the land to completion, how long did the build take?
We purchased the land in early 2021. From that point, we worked on adjusting the design and changing the layout of the plans to suit our needs. We then spent two years rigorously planning every single trade and element of the build, right down to choosing our ABI tapware and fixtures! We finally broke ground in March 2023, and we moved in May 2024.
Was Lincolnshire always your forever home location?
We never really had a ‘forever home’ location. We knew we loved being deep in the beautiful countryside, with peace and quiet. My parents live in Northamptonshire, and Zara’s family is in Yorkshire. Lincolnshire was a good ‘middle ground’ — close to both our families but remote enough to be disconnected from the hustle and bustle while still being able to get to London within two hours if needed.
What are three words you’d use to describe your design style?
Modern. Country. Rustic.
What were your non-negotiables for The Foxes Maltings?
Light and space. We knew we wanted lots of glass to bring in natural light to open up the space and high ceilings to make the rooms feel extremely airy — something we never had the benefit of in our own home.
Did you have any specific functionality choices built into the design?
We made sure to design in a semi-open-plan layout, creating spaces that are perfect for entertaining and flow into one another but, at the same time, are distinctly defined living areas.
For example, the kitchen and dining room is a single room, and the main living area is completely vaulted up to the second story which really exposes the space. It’s a large house, but it doesn’t feel overwhelmingly large because it’s so open. We also wanted low-level thresholds for the outdoor areas that connect to the house.
There were some more nuanced functionality choices we built into the design of The Foxes Maltings. Our master suite is tucked away on a completely separate side of the house from the other bedrooms to make it feel like its own living quarters.
In there, a dressing room was essential for Zara to create her makeup content in the morning, and we selfishly but unapologetically made our master ensuite the largest bathroom in the house. Complete with a ‘his and hers’ sink (because we always butt elbows when brushing our teeth before bed!), a walk-in shower, and a bath.
What are your top tips for owners taking on a build for the first time?
Plan, plan, and then plan some more. The more you plan ahead of time before a spade goes into the ground, the more you mitigate any chance of problems arising.
Additionally, the ability to make quick decisions on site is extremely important to the overall flow and delivering a build on schedule. Indecisiveness can slow down a build programme massively.
Finally, be prepared for things to go wrong. We knew they would, but perhaps we didn’t appreciate how much would, even with all the planning! What’s important is how you address the issues. Be true to your vision and have self-belief.
What was the biggest challenge you faced building The Foxes Maltings, and how did you overcome it?
Our greatest challenge was definitely trying to facilitate communication between the trades and getting them to talk to each other. We found that there’s not a high level of accountability in the construction industry. To overcome this, we created a WhatsApp group and added all the different trades working on the project to the group.
That way, if one particular trade needed to request something from a follow-on trade or make them aware of something, they could quickly speak to them in the chat. It also meant that all other trades saw the message, so there was a paper trail. It instilled a sense of accountability as no trade wanted to be the person blamed in the group.
Why did you choose ABI Interiors?
We chose to work with ABI Interiors as we loved the clean and elegant aesthetic of the hardware. It paired wonderfully with the feel and vision of our home, and we liked that there was a wide range of beautiful coloured finishes to suit each room.
We loved the quality and tactility of all of the hardware. In the London Showroom, where we were able to get hands-on with all the products and get design advice from the ABI team on what fixtures would work well where, that was really valuable.
Not only is all of the hardware and tapware extremely beautiful, but it’s functional too, and designed for day-to-day living. For example, the taps can be equipped with a pull-out mixer, so that you can spray down fruit and vegetables in the sink and also clean up afterwards — such a great feature.
We loved that there were fixtures and fittings to kit out the whole bathroom, from the shower head to the toilet roll holder and even the basins. This resulted in a clean, unified design throughout each room.
Why was matte black the winning finish for the majority of the home?
Matte black is such a sophisticated and classic colour. It works well across multiple spaces and pairs well with different tones and colours. In our dark and moody kitchen, the matte black Elysian Commercial Pull-Out Kitchen Mixer sits perfectly against this colour scheme.
We also used it for another bathroom, and the matte black provided a wonderful contrast against the lighter microcement finish, giving it a sophisticated look.
Why did you choose brushed brass for the bathroom?
Brushed brass is such an elegant finish. It creates a sense of luxury and serenity — exactly what we want people to experience when using the bathroom.
It also perfectly complements the warm tones of the microcement in the bathroom, creating a brighter, more inviting environment. The room is designed to be south-facing, so when the afternoon sun dips through the roof light onto the brass tapware, it creates a beautiful ‘golden hour’ mood.
What does home mean to you, and how do you create the feeling of home?
To us, ‘home’ means a place we can relax and feel comfortable in. Also, somewhere to entertain friends and family when they come to stay. Spaces that are open and invoke feelings of calmness and functionality, with a natural flow from one to the other.
Having personal effects and filling our home with items that bring us joy or invoke fond memories was key to creating that feeling of ‘home’. The building is, after all, a reflection of ourselves, externally and internally. Filling it with personal belongings passed down from our families to celebrate our combined heritage.
Do you love The Foxes Maltings? Explore more country barn house-inspired projects here:
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