The customer was the famous actor Rowan Atkinson, who plans to build a villa with a guest house on the site of his house in Oxfordshire, according to the project of an outstanding architect. Mayer decided his structure in a way characteristic of himself: it will be a bright white building 9 m high with emphasized verticals and horizontals of planes and supports, and the glazing will occupy a significant part of the facade.
The building will have a restrained appearance, but both local residents and officials opposed the project. The first were annoyed by the non-traditional look of the future house, the second were worried about its color and shape: in their opinion, the building would stand out too much among the landscape, and the surrounding area has the status of “territory of exceptional natural beauty”.
As a result, the discussion of the project by the local council turned into the next stage of "style wars". Atkinson said that he considered the project very modest and that he turned to Mayer because he is known precisely for his projects of private houses, and not because he is a modernist. Despite such an evasive position of the customer, the project was supported by a letter from Richard Rogers, who never misses an opportunity to speak in defense of modernism and against traditionalism. Mayer himself stressed that white "enhances the beauty and best complements the beauty around the building." As a result, the council members supported the project, assessing both its quality and Mayer's authority. The construction is planned to be completed in 2-3 years.
![EQUITONE [Natura] N164 White: Delicate White](https://i.architectureprof.com/images/004/image-9928-j.webp "EQUITONE [Natura] N164 White: Delicate White")