Seaside Style
This impressive restoration of a North Devon cottage has created a covetable holiday home
Jeff Cooper
26 June 2017
Barnstaple-based Peregrine Mears Architects designed and managed the restoration of a holiday home, owned by Nick and Sian Barten from Lydford Farm – a holiday caravan park and farm cottages in Watermouth, near Ilfracombe.
The project consisted of the refurbishment of The Linney, which sits above Watermouth Cove. The building was previously a barn converted to residential use some years ago.
As well as refurbishment, the architect was asked to convert an unused part of the building into living accommodation. The setting of the building, on a grassy slope with panoramic views of the Bristol Channel, was a key feature.
Peregrine says: “Our approach was to open up the main volume to form one large open-plan kitchen/dining/living space with full-height glazing on each side to make the most of the views and create a connection to the sunny private courtyard. Additional space created by the conversion lent itself to two double bedrooms and a bathroom. So, the building is arranged as two wings: a sleeping wing running north to south, and a living wing running east to west.”
Underfloor heating is provided throughout, via a biomass boiler. The heat energy is retained by means of high levels of insulation in the floor and roof.
Outside, sections of rendered wall were replaced with vertical cedar cladding to give a warm, rural feel with a contemporary edge. That approach was carried though in the interior design, with the flat ceilings taken out and vaulted ceilings created following the underside of the roof, finished in white painted boarding. The existing clay roof tiles were stripped, cleaned and re-laid.
“Although relatively modest in size, the building needed to feel spacious but inviting. That was a key design challenge, which we feel we have met,” adds Peregrine.
