London practice Of Architecture has used a fuss-free colour and material palette to create this understated home for a young couple in the town of Newquay in Cornwall.
House by the Sea belongs to an artist and a surfer, who told Of Architecture that they wanted a home without extravagant finishes, instead preferring a living space that appears “simple, robust and utilitarian”.
Though the brief was relatively straightforward, erecting the home proved tricky for the practice.
“The house is located by the cliff side of Pentire peninsula and has a very steep driveway, so transporting material was a big challenge for everyone on site,” the Of Architecture co-founder James Mak told Dezeen.
“We had to work with materials that could be carried by a small vehicle or by hand.”
Once the framework was in place, the house was finished with a “monolithic and modest” lime plaster facade.
Key rooms were dispersed across the home’s open-plan first floor, where walls are almost exclusively painted an off-white shade.
In one corner is the kitchen, which features black melamine plywood cabinetry and a large breakfast island topped with stainless steel.
Overhead hangs a couple of industrial-style pendant lamps.
Adjacently lies a sitting area that directly overlooks Newquay’s picturesque Pentire Steps beach.
Fronted by expansive sliding windows, the space is dressed with a classic Eames lounge chair and an L-shaped sofa upholstered in beige marl fabric.
Another sitting area lies towards the rear of the first floor, facing a concrete blockwork wall.
Backed against the wall is a wood burner with a tall slender flue that stretches up to meet the four-metre-high ceiling.
Prefabricated plywood steps lead up to a mezzanine level tucked beneath the home’s sloping roof, which is held up by steel beams.
Intended to serve as a cosy retreat, the space is illuminated by a single skylight while artworks are casually leaned up against its walls and books are showcased on a wrap-around gridded shelf.
The minimalist aesthetic of the first floor then carries over onto the home’s ground floor, which accommodates two guest bedrooms – complete with their own en suites – a cloakroom and a utility room.
A number of other architecturally striking homes can be found along the British coast.
Examples include RX Architects’ Seabreeze in East Sussex, which is coated in smooth pink concrete, and Mole Architects’ Marsh Hill House in Suffolk, which is shaped like a seagull’s wing.
The photography is by Lorenzo Zandri.
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