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evermore, suffolk
disappear into the walls, the bedroom can be fully opened to the kitchen and living areas or enclosed as needed. This ensures that it remains part of the shared life in the house. Having an open plan encourages Julia’s daily routines to unfold with ease and flexibility. This sense of connection extends
vertically. The upper mezzanine floor accommodates Simon’s workspace, designed to remain acoustically open to the ground floor. This allows for easy communication between the couple, supporting the practicalities of daily care and quality of life better. The layout anticipates future adaptability, including provision for a live-in carer with a bedroom at this level, ensuring the house can respond to any changing circumstances without major reconfiguration. At the centre of the home is a generous
kitchen and pantry designed around their shared interests including Simon’s love for cooking and preserving. Lowered work surfaces and storage are integrated for accessibility, while a double-height void topped by a skylight brings daylight deep into the plan. A ground floor sitting room used
nimtim started designing the reworking of the plan, stripping back the existing bungalow to address its limitations – small, pokey, outdated rooms – and establish an open plan, continuous ground floor. The result is a threshold-free layout with wide sliding pocket doors and generous circulation spaces suitable for a wheelchair, allowing movement to unfold intuitively throughout. At the entrance, a gently sloping ramp is integrated into the front garden, forming part of the landscape, allowing for wheelchair access. nimtim’s key architectural move is social rather than technical: the main bedroom is positioned on the ground floor overlooking an entertaining space. Through sliding pocket doors that
for hosting guests, watching television and practicing yoga, is tucked away, off the main living spaces. These rooms are separated by a sliding door. When shut, it becomes a self-contained room with a shower for guests. Opposite, a dedicated study is occupied by books and a collection of work completed by women artists, Julia’s personal retreat and favourite room within the home. Gardening was also one of the key motivations for Julia and Simon’s move from London. Julia takes a more observational role, while a close friend visits weekly to help maintain the planting. Simon tends to the garden in the mornings, continuing a long-standing interest in growing and making preserves. Material selection was led by their
commitment to longevity and low maintenance. The couple wanted a considered home with warmth, texture and individuality. nimtim responded with a colourful, curated and layered palette of natural, exposed materials designed to age well and require minimal intervention over time. Outside, Evermore is clad in deep red
Viroc, a cement-bonded board chosen for its durability in the exposed coastal environment. Aluminium doors and windows are colour matched to the rusty red facade. This soft tone is carried
internally into the bathrooms as a vivid burnt orange microcrete, in a thoughtful continuity between exterior and interior surfaces. In contrast, the central living spaces
are lighter and more neutral in tone. Two different finishes of clay plaster, by Clayworks, was chosen for the walls to provide a soft, matt surface that responds texturally to changing light within the floorplan. Timber flooring introduces warmth, while microcement is used in the threshold-free wet rooms. Kitchen cabinets and pantry are painted in a pale duck egg blue. The clients’ deep connection to
art is apparent throughout the home. A continuous recessed picture rail was designed to run through the house, allowing artworks to be moved and reconfigured over time. The collection itself spans institutional works, pieces by friends, an extensive collection of ceramics and objects gathered over decades of travels. Custom shelving integrates these objects into the architecture, blending the clients’ collected personal memories. Sustainability is addressed through adaptation rather than replacement. Retaining and extending the existing structure significantly reduced embodied carbon. The house is fully electric, powered by an air-source heat pump and supported by high levels of insulation and triple glazing to the north, east and west facades. Rainwater is harvested in a tank beneath the garden for all irrigation, and preparation for future photovoltaic installation supports the long-term environmental aspiration and performance of the home. For nimtim architects, Evermore
shows how collaborative design can support complex spatial and personal requirements without resorting to clinical, plastic aesthetics. The result is a home that is functional and considered, shaped as much by everyday life and personal history as by technical performance. Nimi Attanayake, Director at nimtm
architects, said: “The project asked us to look beyond conventional ideas of accessibility and instead consider how a home can support daily life over time. Working closely with Julia and Simon, we focused on creating an adaptable environment where openness, materiality and detailing allow the house to respond to changing needs without losing its character. Evermore is shaped as much by conversation and lived experience as by design.”
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