Gulbarg: Classically Modern

Set within a quiet residential pocket of West Berkshire, England, Gulbarg is a contemporary home defined by its integration of innovative garage architecture into the broader design, a theme we’ve explored across other Carchitecture features on Garage Recess. Balancing its Georgian proportions with a modern automotive-focused extension, the project centers around a sculptural garage space designed as much for living with cars as for storing them, best understood in motion through the Gulbarg garage door film.

The project began, fittingly, with a shared interest in cars. A chance connection through a photograph posted by NEON Architecture led to a conversation, and eventually, a brief shaped as much by enthusiasm as it was by architecture. The requirements were clear, though far from simple: Georgian proportions, contemporary detailing, subtle industrial cues, and a garage capable of housing a small but deeply personal collection of air-cooled Volkswagens and Porsches.

Integrating those ideas within a constrained suburban site required restraint. And creativity. The garage, while central to the client’s vision, could not dominate the elevation. Its massing was deliberately kept low, allowing the main house to retain its presence.

The solution: contrast rather than competition. Where the house is crisp and composed, the garage introduces warmth and texture, most notably through a softly curved, laterally sliding oak door that anchors the entire composition.

That door becomes the defining element of the project. Supplied by Rundum Meir UK, its scale and movement give the garage a sense of occasion without resorting to excess. When closed, it reads as a carefully detailed surface, its natural tone offsetting the cool white exterior. When open, it disappears laterally, revealing a space that feels closer to an art gallery than a conventional garage.

There’s a clarity to the design that recalls the softened, cornerless form of the Stradivarius 1726 'Chanot-Chardon' violin, a departure from traditional edges in favor of a more continuous, uninterrupted silhouette. That same idea carries through here. The space when open, is free of interruption, allowing the garage to fully reveal itself.

The simplicity of that opening belies the complexity behind it. To achieve a cornerless, laterally cascading, wraparound wood door, the structural load is carried by concealed steelwork within the walls and a cantilevered roof plane above. The detailing is intentionally quiet. Tracks, head rails, and slot windows are integrated so that they recede inward, allowing the cars and the space itself to take focus.

Inside, the garage is buit for both use and display. A polished floor reflects light across the room, while a fully integrated smart lighting and audio system allows the atmosphere to shift depending on the moment, whether working on a car, photographing it, or simply taking a step back to admire it.

The collection reinforces that intent: a tightly curated group of German classics, air-cooled Porsches and vintage Volkswagens, each given enough space to be understood on its own terms.

The space is a case study in clarity. Nothing feels added for effect, and nothing distracts from its purpose. It works as a workshop, but also as a place to pause, to look, and to engage with the objects inside it more deliberately.

That clarity extends to the relationship between client and architect. Both deeply familiar and entrenched in car culture , they approached the garage not as an accessory, but as a central architectural element.

Gulbarg succeeds in the balance it maintains. Traditional in outline, contemporary in execution, and quietly expressive in the way it accommodates a life shaped around cars. The garage does not compete with the house, nor does it simply fade in the background. Instead, it sits alongside it with confidence, defined by material, proportion, and a level of detail that reveals itself gradually over time. See the space in motion in the Gulbarg garage door film.