De Rosee Sa embraces "quietness and subtlety" for The Cornwall Retreat
Architecture studio De Rosee Sa has completed a house in Cornwall, UK, with barn-like volumes and natural materials that draw on the surrounding coastal landscape.
Named The Cornwall Retreat, the home was created for a family of keen surfers on a cliff edge overlooking the sea on the county's north coast.
London and Lisbon-based De Rosee Sa designed the residence as two gabled volumes that mimic agricultural barns, finished in a tactile palette of timber, clay render, stone and tiles, intended to buck the trend for overly "sleek or harsh" coastal homes.
"The intention was to avoid anything too sleek or harsh," senior project architect George Yallop told Dezeen.
"From the start, the design was about quietness and subtlety, with tones and textures that allow the house to blend into its surroundings and almost disappear into the landscape," he added.
"The design recalls the character of local agricultural buildings that traditionally occupied the area, before bright white holiday homes became common. The intention was for the house to feel grounded, discreet and connected to the landscape."
Across its three floors, the material palette of The Cornwall Retreat gradually shifts from a heavier and earthier rendered base to the lighter, timber-clad "barns" above.
Taking advantage of the site's slope, the partially subterranean base is only visible from the sea-facing side of the home, avoiding a dominant presence where it looks towards the street and neighbouring properties.
The home's lower ground floor contains three bedrooms alongside a wet room area for changing and storing surfing equipment. Here, the floor and walls are clad in terrazzo tiles made from recycled stone.
A paved pathway with an outdoor shower leads directly from the wet room out to the home's rear garden and towards the beach beyond.
On the ground floor of The Cornwall Retreat is a large living, dining and kitchen space loosely divided by a large area of shelving where the two barn-like volumes meet.
The walls of these spaces are finished in clay render left unpainted to emphasise its uneven, natural appearance.
The ground floor faces out to sea through large openings. These include sliding windows with a bench-like sill overlooking a planter in the dining space and sliding glass doors that open onto a garden terrace in the living area.
A smaller first floor features two bedrooms tucked into the eastern volume's roof void, including the main ensuite that is positioned to face out to the sea. The walls of these have been finished in white painted timber planks to offer a lighter feel.
Throughout, The Cornwall Retreat's timber ceilings have been left exposed and painted white, incorporating skylights above the kitchen and dining space, as well as in the upper bedrooms.
The home's finishes are complemented by oak carpentry, a Portland stone fireplace and recycled, reconstituted stone in the bathrooms.
"Overall, the material choices prioritise simplicity, natural variation and a gentle, relaxed elegance that reflects the surrounding landscape and avoids anything overly polished or showy," Yallop told Dezeen.
"The ceilings were designed with exposed beams and boarded surfaces that will gently shift and settle over time, giving a more relaxed and beach-influenced character rather than a highly finished appearance."
"Details such as avoiding trims at junctions and setting joinery pieces into clay-finished walls further contribute to this informal, crafted feel," he added.
Other recent projects in Cornwall include a home for an artist and surfer by Of Architecture, which adopts a "simple, robust and utilitarian" material palette, and Will Gamble Architects' renovation of a holiday home perched on a rock stack.
The photography is by Peter Molloy.
The post De Rosee Sa embraces "quietness and subtlety" for The Cornwall Retreat appeared first on Dezeen.
