London architecture studio TYPE has transformed two derelict cottages in Dorset into a rural retreat that celebrates their weathered stone and timber structures.

Named Purbeck Cottage, the project involved combining two 19th-century quarryman's cottages in a small hamlet on Dorset's Jurassic Coast into a single 85-square-metre dwelling.

TYPE's design focused on adapting materials and fittings already in the buildings or sourcing items from reclamation yards, responding to both the site's position in a Conservation Area and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the client's philosophy of "radical reuse".

"We wanted to celebrate the craft and legacy of the original 19th-century quarryman's cottages while completely avoiding the substantial embodied carbon associated with demolition and new construction," the studio told Dezeen.

"The project really wears its circular principles on its sleeve. We weren’t interested in trying to make re-purposed materials feel new or overly refined," it continued.

"Instead, we wanted to show the lived life of the building fabric, whether that was material left in its original place, elements taken from one part of the building and reused elsewhere, or pieces reclaimed from completely different buildings."

Purbeck Cottage is centred around a double-height living space at its eastern end, designed to open up the narrow floor plan. Here, a reclaimed staircase leads up to a mezzanine with folding timber shutters that can serve as either a study or a guest room.

Strategically placed openings were introduced to the southern facade to bring in much-needed light, while to the north, the home is oriented to overlook a large front garden.

Where the two former cottages meet, their back-to-back stone-and-brick fireplaces have been retained, flanked by a wooden door that connects the living space to a dining area. There is also a small service hatch alongside the kitchen's reclaimed-wood countertops.

A core of bathrooms, utility spaces and a boiler tank has been pushed to the western end of the home, alongside another reclaimed-wood staircase that leads up to the main bedroom.

Purbeck Cottage's internal spaces are framed by the rough stone walls of the original cottages and complemented by the original stone floors. These were previously covered by concrete and carpet and have jackhammer marks from previous alterations left exposed.

Elsewhere, floor joists that were no longer structurally sound were denailed, cut down and fireproofed for reuse in studwork walls.

Finishing touches include newly added vintage sinks, early-20th-century brassware, reclaimed radiators and a salvaged French stove.

"Our material choices were driven by the clients' desire to avoid anything feeling brand new or flashy, in favour of embracing the battered history, rough textures, and the story of the objects themselves," said the studio.

TYPE was founded in 2013 by directors Matt Cooper, Sam Nelson, Tom Powell and Ogi Ristic. Previous projects by the studio include the renovation of a studio flat on London's Golden Lane Estate with sliding screens and an extension at a home in Herne Hill made with a robust palette of raw concrete, burnt clay and natural wood.

The photography is by Lorenzo Zandri.