In Snowdonia, A Pair of Artists’ Humble Bungalow Gets a Japandi Makeover

Artist Richard Zinon learned pottery in Japan, and carpentry, painting and sculpture in Italy; he’s also a trained chef who has worked in restaurants in different countries. Is it any wonder then that his little bungalow, nestled deep in Snowdonia National Park in Wales, would be a paean to artfulness and craftsmanship?

Zinon and his partner, Nuria Maria, a fellow painter, treated the 1929 structure like a blank canvas, deftly filling it in with design references to their travels while showcasing the beauty of natural materials. At 689 square feet, the two-bedroom home is small, but it feels open and airy thanks to high ceilings and new picture windows that frame the verdant views.

Join us for a tour of their elegant house in the woods. (The couple recently sold this property on The Modern House, which is where we first spotted it.)

Photography by French + Tye, courtesy of The Modern House.
Above: Inspired by his time in Japan, Zinon chose to clad the exterior with shou sugi ban Japanese cypress planks.
Above: Inside, the couple opted for a mix of Japanese wabi-sabi style and clean-lined Scandi design. Here, they relax in the open kitchen and living area. The chairs are vintage Pierre Jeanneret.
Above: The oak floorboards are salvaged from a 15th-century mansion. “I reconditioned every board, getting to know the wood piece by piece,” Zinon told The Modern House.
Above: “I also managed to salvage the cedar from the original timber cladding and used it to craft the kitchen cabinets,” he shared.
Above: A dual-sided fireplace separates the public space from a hallway that leads to the two bedrooms.
Above: The hallway with a perfectly placed picture window. “For me, a good interior is confident in its shape and simplicity, with a pureness that gives peace and comfort but still fascinates and inspires in a quiet way. The beauty lies in the details, history and origin,” Zinon told The Modern House.
Above: The view from the hallway to the main bedroom. On the walls is Bauwerk’s Seed limewash color. “The walls are traditionally lime-plastered, which was a long and painstaking process involving the layering of hemp and lime,” he said.
Above: One of Maria’s paintings graces the bedroom wall, echoing the greenery just outside the window.
Above: The couple used the other bedroom as a dressing room.
Above: The stunning view from the terrace.
Above: The rectangular bungalow was redesigned with large windows to take advantage of the views. (Compare with the smaller windows in the neighboring structure.)