Two-Family House
Two-Family House
New build family home overlooking the Mawgan Porth bay.
The client’s brief was to create a “no-compromise” family seaside home, integrated into its surroundings rather than standing out from them. A key aspiration was to maximise views of the sea and sky as a backdrop to the sandy beach and the sheltered private garden.
From the outside, the building is recessive, sunk deep into its dramatic cliffside setting. External materials were chosen for their visual interest and durability, with the ground floor “plinth” - formed from local stone - embedding the house into its surroundings. The first floor is sheltered by a Copper clad overhang that has been left to weather naturally, a blue-green patina developing as the marine conditions dictate.
From the inside, the house is designed to showcase the breathtaking Atlantic panoramas with family-orientated spaces of primary importance. Carefully calibrated and angled to create perfectly framed views of the headland, the ground floor provides a succession of entertainment spaces, with the living room flowing into the family kitchen and dining room, leading on to a kids’ playroom, vitality pool and meticulously laid out surf changing & drying facilities beyond. Central to the plan is a dramatic curved timber staircase and generous hallway that provides a pivot point at the crank between the two primary wings. The stair is topped by a circular roof lantern which allows ample daylight deep into the plan, whilst also facilitating natural ventilation across the house during the summer months.
Throughout the interiors a natural material palette of timber, stone and Cornish clay plaster has been employed to create a warm, textured and inviting environment that feels both sophisticated and suitably unfussy for family use.
Externally the previous owner had spent many years cultivating a tiered garden that winds down to the beach, hand-laying a network of stone retaining walls and paths that criss-cross the site. During the construction great care was taken to preserve these features and to ensure that the building added a sympathetic new layer to this history, echoing and enhancing the bio-diverse nature of the cliffside site.
Through careful detailing, meticulous craftsmanship and material integrity ‘Two-Family House’ seeks to create a seaside retreat befitting of its magnificent setting that will provide much joy and shared experience for years to come.
Interior design by Millard & Flo.
Built by Gynn Construction.
Structural Engineering by Martin Perry Associates.
M&E Engineering by Will Potter Partnership.
Quantity Surveying by DGA.
Photography by John Hersey Studio & Tristan Stocker.
Copper clad overhangs have been left to weather naturally, with a blue-green patina developing as the marine conditions dictate.
Family-orientated spaces were of primary importance — from a comfortable games room equipped with table tennis and large television . . .
. . . to an indoor/ outdoor wellness pool with full-height retractable glazing.
