This Cornish Beach House is a Breath of Fresh Air

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The Beach House, Carbis Bay, Cornwall: Completed residential project, Laurence Associates Laurence Associates Modern living room
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There are some projects that we see that may not have the best situation, but are finished to such high standards that you can overlook location and then there are those that simply have it all. This is one such fortunate home, which boasts one of the finest views we have ever seen, as well as a design that has us  woefully jealous! 

The design team responsible for the build describe it thusly, ’Situated on the cliff at Carbis Bay close to St. Ives, our completed residential project was to secure planning permission for a new dwelling on land adjacent to their existing cliff top property. A contemporary, high quality design was developed with a continuous flow of space between the open living spaces with uninterrupted 180 degree views out towards the bay by full height glazing leading to the balconies creating a sense of standing on the cliff edge. Design features including irregular room shapes with angled walls and crisp white external rendering along with a natural sedum roof ensure the building blended into the hillside above.’

Does it symbiotically blend in with its surroundings? Without a shadow of a doubt, but there is no ignoring that the house is there. A truly breathtaking home that has been finished with a stunning grey and cream palette, we think you'll love this project as much as we do.

More than a view

It seems almost redundant to simply call this a view, doesn't it? When the landscape of a project is so key to what it actually is and stands for, the view is almost swallowed up as part of the physical building and thanks to the full height glazing in place, we get so see it twice; once as is and once as a reflection. 

Laurence Associates have been incredibly sensitive to the location when designing this building, as the house truly does look like a sheer cliff face and far from detracting from the natural beauty that is on show here, the new home actually adds to it. Now that's not an easy thing to do!

Green touches

As we said in the introduction, or rather as the design team said, integrating this home onto the landscape was of the utmost importance and with that in mind, a palette of neutral tones have been put to great use. The mottled grey of the rooftop patio is a wonderful touch, but so is the sedum roof, which not only adds insulation, but also blends into the hillside.

Though a large and impressive contemporary build, there is something so relaxed about this home that it is impossible to find it or its location in the least jarring. In fact, it feels like it could have always been here, just gazing out at the water,

Gloriously spacious

Naturally, we can see that this is not an ungenerous home when it comes to proportions, but isn't it amazing just how perfect and unpretentious this open plan living space is? Where some homes seek to really make the point that they are large, this house seems content to be well thought out, perfectly furnished and eminently usable. 

The grey and cream colour scheme is working wonders to bring the space together and we think the large amount of transitional floorspace is just lovely. We imagine that the residents just glide between areas!

A coherent scheme

It's rare to find a project where the interior and exterior colour and design schemes are so perfectly aligned, but this is unquestionably one such property. From the white render, silver metalwork and grey patio of the outside, we come into a mirror image of interior design features and perhaps that is what makes this house feels as though it 'belongs'. Nothing has been overlooked or left to chance and everything is a reflection of something else that is equally beautiful, whether it's the water in the windows or the kitchen in this exquisite dining room table. 

Isn't it absolutely amazing that the cacophony of silver and cream elements don't look too cold in this space? Far from it in fact, they look beautiful and welcoming. This is clearly a home that has been furnished with a lot of attention to detail and love.

Mirror, mirror

Though all the polished metal elements in this open plan living space are doing a wonderful job of reflecting light, we think the installation of a large octagonal mirror is fantastic, especially in the kitchen, which is an unusual placement. 

Breaking up the vastness of the cabinets in one easy step, the mirror also keeps the open plan scheme firmly on our minds. Yes, this might be where food is prepared, but this house is so much more fluid than that, so other functionalities are welcomed too. So progressive!

Comfort and style

You may have wondered how the more traditionally cosy rooms have been decorated and here you can see that the recurrent cool neutrals theme has been carried through the entire house. We're not surprised by this, but the addition of textile items has certainly helped to add more of a 'snuggly' vibe. No compromise has been made here, style-wise, but there is something eminently relaxing and comforting about this room and we are just crazy about the directional wooden floor!

While the views out to the water would be a soothing companion into the land of nod, we think this house as a whole emits an undeniably languid and relaxed feel. Laurence Associates were the perfect choice for this project and clearly had a deep understanding of what was needed to both complement the landscape and fulfil the needs of the client.

For more beach house inspiration, take a look at this Ideabook: The Cornish Beachfront Beauty

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