"An unpretentious and tranquil space" says commenter

In this week's comments update, readers are discussing the renovation of a 1950s country home in Surrey by architecture studio Medium.

Hearth House was renovated to consolidate and unify a series of existing single-storey extensions, which suffered from poor thermal performance and a disjointed layout. Commenters struggled to reach a consensus on its merits.

"Looks like a house you would like to live in"

"What a soothing result," reflected Winterberg before describing the property as "an unpretentious and tranquil space without over-the-top effects".

Henri was also a fan, writing "love the little orb lights – it's the small details like that which really bring the space together".

"Looks like a house you would like to live in," contributed BrettS. "My only reservation is the polished concrete floors."

Tom Roberts took a more blunt view. "I would like to add uninteresting to the mix," he said.

Which side are you on? Join the discussion ›

"Profoundly banal" 

Readers were divided over a building at Claremont McKenna College in Los Angeles by architecture studio BIG made of six stacked rectangular volumes.

"Impressive form," wrote Albia400, who felt there were "undeniably some beautiful moments in this project".

Jb had mixed emotions, arguing that "the atrium is almost edging towards something epic, but it's been done in an unsophisticated way".

Other commenters took a less forgiving stance. "Profoundly banal – accordingly, it'll win all sorts of awards," predicted Karl.

AlfredHitchcock thought "it looks very clunky and unrefined, like they just built a concept model without any further design development".

What's your take? Join the discussion ›

"It's all magical thinking that will put the population in worse straits"

Also causing a stir in the comments section this week was the news that Donald Trump has announced tariffs on furniture, kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities being imported to the US.

Henri issued a word of warning, suggesting "that man will destroy the arts – and then life itself".

"Imported kitchen cabinets are now a national security concern?" asked Jim Angrabright.

"Between tariffs on imports and a rapidly devaluing dollar, it seems that The Donald is hellbent on creating stagflation in the US," determined RK. "Weird economic flex," they added.

Dora Taylor was similarly critical, arguing that "like all of Trump's pie-in-the-sky ideas, this will not come about overnight, and there will be complications based on tariffs". They proposed "it's all magical thinking that will put the population in worse straits than they are now."

Have you weighed in on the great tariff debate? Join the discussion ›

Comments update

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