Glass-enclosed balconies and turfed terraces cascade down towards the water’s edge


multicolours from the ceiling, walls and staircase come to life in the living area to add drama. The tiled oor inside the house gives way to similar sized and coloured slabs outside, supplying a real feel of inside-outside living. Even the mezzanine to the bedrooms above has its own wow eature a glass panel inserted into the oor allows the light to ood up into the corridor and provides a viewing platform for the children to the living room below.


EXTERNAL & INTERNAL DETAILS Cornwall – whatever the weather – is all about the outside. The Edge takes up almost the entire pocket of land. A series of extruded boxes work together to form various external terraces, to make the most of the sharp incline, which would otherwise have been unusable. The terraces include a basketball court and an additional lower terrace is planned, although its use continues to be a matter of debate for the amily A hot tub, a sunen firepit and an infinity pool have all been realised goals from the family’s wish list.


The overall look appears effortless, as only the most carefully designed buildings do. But the easy elegance belies the painstaking work that went on to create it. The architects explored design possibilities in a virtual setting and allowed the design to evolve as it entered the real world. The couple also did their homework. “We had a huge stack of self-build magazines, and went to Grand Design shows,” says Trevor,


22 www.sbhonline.co.uk


and Kirsty found Pinterest great for inspiration. There is real attention to detail in the fabric of the house. “As with all bespoke designs, the devil is in the detail,” explains architect aul Mapstone Achieving elegant solutions that promoted clean lines and beautiful spaces presented challenges to the design team.” Among the biggest challenges was ensuring an unbroken view across the back of the house using a bespoke concrete ring beam solution to avoid a supportive pillar. “All the hard work paid off with the house boasting a spectacular unbroken vista towards the river,” says Paul. The ‘less is more’ philosophy of pioneering


modernist architect Mies van der Rohe was at the centre of the brief, adds Paul. The home uses a limited palette of materials and focuses on key architectural features that include the striking aluminium clad rotunda at the entrance. “The result is a strong design of simplicity and elegance,” he adds.


BUILD CHALLENGES


The family moved into the house in October 2021, but building work took place almost exclusively during the Covid outbreak and its many lockdowns, which meant Trevor had to take on the job of project management. However, it allowed him to be hands on with the design and work closely with the architect to ensure the house was perfect. “We had to keep going,” says Trevor of how they tackled the challenges of building during


sep/oct 2022 LOW POINT


“The Covid outbreak left Trevor to project manage the build, while trying to keep the tradesmen, his family and elderly mum next door safe.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76