DEVON COASTAL HOUSE

MOTHECOMBE, Devon

We were engaged to develop an ambitious concept design for a replacement home on a stunning coastal site in South Devon. From an elevated position, the site enjoys uninterrupted views of the sea, framed by a beautiful valley and surrounded by a small woodland. The site is exposed, so there was also a need to explore a sheltered garden.

The concept design explored the potential of a low lying single storey structure, hugging the southern fringes of an existing plateau before the site steeply drops away, dissolving into the surrounding woodland. This presented an opportunity to play with additional storeys in the form of a master bedroom suite, which inhabits the tree canopy almost as a satellite structure away from the primary single storey form. We imagined a form akin to a pinecone.

Internally, we explored the potential atmosphere that could be created through materiality & visual connections with the intimacy of the immediately adjacent woodland, to the more distant and expansive views across the valley and out to sea.

Whilst bedrooms might have more of a subtle dialogue with the trees, the open plan living, kitchen & dining space features expansive glazing to the south to capture the full expanse offered by the desicion to place the space in this location. The exposed structural timber frame combined with crafted furniture create a soft crafted aesthetic, synonymous with the woodland below. Elsewhere, shelter is offered by an almost hidden courtyard garden.

 Services – Feasibility, Concept Design and Developed Brief (RIBA Stage 1 & 2)