Harbour Cottage is positioned in the heart of the coastal village of Kingsand, situated on the Rame Peninsular of Cornwall. The small character cottage sits on the sea front, backing directly onto Cawsand Bay and adjacent to the clock tower, which forms a key feature of the village.
Le Page Architects were commission by the client to carry out a complete refurbishment of the cottage, with a desire to bring the property back to life. The proposed works incorporated the formation of two new prominent windows to the sea facing elevation to fill the existing dim interior space with natural light. There was also the idea to reconfigure the first floor shower room and master en-suite, as well as install two new glass floor panels within the current floor hatches, again to allow natural light into the interior spaces. As part of the work, a bespoke kitchen was carefully designed to complement the unusual shaped kitchen, incorporating a central pebble shaped kitchen island feature, creating a focal point around which to gather. A new oak writing desk was also designed for the master bedroom, to fit neatly into the corner of the room with views directly out to sea from an existing dormer window.
Our approach was to remain sensitive to the character of the cottage and its context within the conservation area of Kingsand, whilst aiming to enhance its interior and exterior for the family to enjoy in years to come.
Prior to the project works beginning on site, the south west was hit by severe storms and high tides, leaving much of the coastline and its buildings badly damaged and in a state of urgent repair. Unfortunately, Harbour Cottage was one of these, with the roof and rear balcony being left unsafe and in a terrible condition. The clock tower to which Harbour Cottage adjoins was also devastated by the effects of the storm, and at one point was thought to be in danger of collapse.
In the aftermath of the storms, Le Page Architects worked to make the cottage safe from further damage and scheduled the repairs required to bring it back to a habitable condition.
