A James-Bond inspired home in Cornwall makes use of a steep sloped small unused space to create an architectural gem on the edge of the River Tamar
TEXT & IMAGES EWEN MACDONALD
When Trevor Huggins and his family envisaged a riverside home in one of Cornwall’s most sought-after locations, it was to create a James Bond-inspired lair to equal those of the famous Bond set designer
Ken Adam.
“Trevor told the architect, ‘I want a James Bond home without the pricetag’,” says his wife Kirsty. And he got it. The end result is a modernist white and glass house set over three floors into a sloped river bank, with stepped garden ‘rooms’ beneath leading to the shore. From the front, the house sits snugly next to neighbouring smaller homes and manages to be captivating without overshadowing them.
Opportunities for building new properties along Cornwall’s waterfronts are limited, so making use of this small, steeply-sloping land made sense when it came to moving close to Trevor’s elderly mother. The unused plot also formed part of his mother’s garden and sat above the banks of the tidal estuary of the Tamar – and was almost impossible to maintain. What it did have was magnificent views across the river that were going to waste – and bags of potential for the right design.
When it comes to self-build projects, the design often has to answer myriad issues – and satisfy a long wish list. For Trevor and his family, the key ingredient was balancing work and family life and looking after his elderly mother. To achieve the latter it made sense to live next door and even more sense to create a striking waterfront home on that part of her garden that was unused and unusable and had nothing to recommend it, except its incredible views. It had the added advantage of being close to the town centre and within minutes of Trevor’s marina business.
A dramatic lair
The house is set on three floors, and because of the steep slope it occupies, entry is on the middle floor. The design of the house utilised the natural topography rather than fighting against it. At its roadside frontage, the house is dominated by a rotunda that encloses a bespoke staircase. At the back, there are external glass-enclosed balconies and turfed terraces that cascade down towards the water’s edge, creating a surprisingly large outdoor area, despite the small footprint of the land itself.
Layout
The three levels of the house are split into dedicated floors to live, sleep and play. They are connected by a bespoke steel helical staircase which was made to order by a local fabrication firm. “We couldn’t find anyone who did it,” says Kirsty of the stairs. “Then we found a steelworks in a business park up the road.” Rather than a raw industrial look, the open stairs are topped with elegant white Corian stone made by a local kitchen designer – who also covered supplied a bespoke handrail. A warm south-facing light floods through the rotunda from the front of the house.
“I wanted a ‘Disney staircase,’” says Trevor. “One that Poppy could glide down in her prom dress.” Until then, she has found a space to practice her aerial acrobatics. The natural height created by the stairwell allows silks to be suspended from above.
The original brief given to Plymouth-based architectural firm BRL Architects was to create a “special family home” that used all the available space on a small, sloping site, and made use of the natural daylight and the views.
Facing north, the house has floor to ceiling wall to wall glass doors, tripled glazed against the variable weather. But being north-facing this elevation doesn’t have issues of glare from the glass that might otherwise overheat the interior. The windows also do a lot to bring light into the rest of the house. Thanks to the natural privacy offered by the site, the windows don’t have blinds, and the view can be enjoyed throughout the day and night without being overlooked. Even the waterfront is a quiet spot with few people using the estuary – other than the family themselves, who can often be found in and on the water. Outside storage for kayaks and inflatables have also been considered.
A ‘thumbprint’ front door opens to a wide entrance hall split off from the open plan living area by an ingenious pivot door. “I had to have it,” admits Trevor. “The door provides a barrier between the entryway and living space, but offers the immediate wow factor of the uninterrupted views. It also allows natural light to flow through to the windowless vestibule. “My favourite feature is the large sliding doors as it just opens the place right up, and when the tide is in I like to sit and just look out at the beautiful view,” says Trevor.
“I wanted every room to have its own wow factor,” he adds. The main living space on the middle floor has the view, but the helical staircase and teardrop lights that cascade from the top floor supply the ‘architectural wow’ from both inside the house and from outside.
The open plan living space runs the length of the building with a kitchen divided from the rest of the room by a bespoke white island where a Neff cooking hob sits almost invisibly until a control panel slides up at the press of a button. Distinct seating areas break up the large space. A snug area sits behind a partial dividing wall where a cut out has been made ready for an aquarium, while a giant curved sofa has prime position.
The house is all about light, and when the sun goes down, recess LED lights that glow in multicolours from the ceiling, walls and staircase come to life in the living area to add drama. The tiled floor 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 feature: a glass panel inserted into the floor allows the light to flood 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 family. A hot tub, a sunken 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, 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 Paul 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 the pandemic. As well as worrying about the virus itself (“People were terrified. I had to trust people to come in and keep their distance,”) he had to cope with a shortage of supplies, and rising prices.
“My biggest challenge was trying to keep the project running on time and on budget, and bringing all the trades together at the right times without being constantly let down.”
Trevor was able to work with local trades and businesses he knew and trusted. He was able to pick BRL Architects having already worked with them in his marina business.
The ‘bones’ of the house’s eco-technology are elegantly invisible. The home has a smart control system to maximise thermal efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. It is highly insulated so heat loss and solar gain is minimised – vital in a heavily glazed building. Smart zonal temperature controls delivered through underfloor heating also minimises wasted energy. Trevor worked with energy consultants to create the bespoke high performing triple-glazed windows and energy control systems that constantly regulate thermal comfort.
In the best James Bond style, the home has an (almost) subterranean level. A cinema room sits snugly into the windowless area built into the river bank. The cinema room, complete with a corner sofa piled with beanbags has one of Kirsty’s favourite architectural features: a curved wall. Her love of the sea and waves is reflected throughout the house, with vertical surfaces in the main living space clad in white undulating curved stone.
The underground lair opens out to a bright second living room facing out onto the river. Tucked into the corner is a stylish cocktail bar built into the back wall. Here there is more clever design. The bar itself can be swung out of the way, and the space used as a kitchenette for any guests who use the adjoining bedroom. The wow factor here, apart from the bar itself – is the WoodUpp wall cladding. These Scandi-designed Akupanels are made up of thin strips of white patinated wood and create a subtle feature on a wall that would otherwise be dominated by the TV. The panels are sound dampening and can remove reverberation within a room to improve acoustics.
The top floor is home to three bedrooms accessed by the showstopper staircase. Each one faces out over the water with a connecting balcony that can be accessed through doors from each room. While the bedrooms are still being finished, the wow factor in son Rocco’s room is already in place: a feature wall created by a graffiti artist from The Mural Company who created a bespoke design to reflect Rocco’s favourite things (which include football).