An enviable modern home with spectacular coastal views.
Chapel Porth beach is a special spot.It’s a wild but cosy cove on the north Cornish coast where colourful heath-topped cliffs rise either side of a small, but perfectly formed, beach.
When keen-surfers Jamie and his wife Helen told us they’d purchased an old timber-frame miners cottage at the top of the one road in and out, we couldn’t wait to get cracking on designing their dream home for them and their son.
THE BRIEF
The brief was to rework the inside of the house, transforming awkward long, thin rooms into a space fit for a young family to live in and enjoy. We instantly knew we’d also need to rethink the outside of the house to find a solution that would shift the focus from completely missing one of the best views in Cornwall — to being able to drink it in every day.
THE INTERPRETATION
We presented four different ideas and were delighted when Jamie and Helen chose the direction they did for their project.Creating something special here was about maximising the views from every room.
The bold new design would add new angled sections onto the original house and move both bedrooms upstairs, allowing more living space downstairs. We’d be removing the awkward galley kitchen in favour of an open-plan living space.
THE OUTCOME
Jamie and Helen have done an amazing job of managing and undertaking most of the work on their home in what’s been a real labour of love. The roof has been completely removed and re-aligned and then replaced. The house is now topped with local delabole slate, one of a series of considered finishes that really make this project shine.
Both bedrooms and the living space look out and down into the groove of Chapel Porth beach below; with large windows allowing light to flood in. The picture window on the staircase gives amazing views of the Cornish sunset, portholes on the gable ends add character and there’s even an undercover outside space for sundowners. Cheers!
