Seabreeze is a delightful new home situated in one of the most beautiful of locations, directly backing on to the sea at Camber Sands, East Sussex. Featured on Grand Designs’ House of the Year award shortlist and nominated for the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) House of the Year award, this cleverly designed and constructed home has been created with the beautiful views in mind. An important part of that was a cohesive interior scheme that was employed to ensure the inside and outside work harmoniously together. Caesarstone’s 4043 Primordia surface was chosen to create synergy with the outdoors and used throughout the kitchen, as well as on the fireplace and downstairs corner windowsill.
Seabreeze, built overlooking the sand dunes of Camber Sands, was designed by RX Architects of Rye. Their vision was to create a place that embodied the joy of the English seaside, whilst still being robust enough to withstand the extreme coastal weather conditions. Their final design aligned nicely with neighbouring properties but manifested simplicity which, alongside the joyful pink exterior, helped conjure up a home reminiscent of the typical British seaside beach hut.
Getting the interior right was just as important as the exterior and includes 2 double bedrooms, a mini spa and open plan living accommodation. Each room was designed with the beautiful views in mind, as well as the designers’ wish to harmonise with the surroundings. The understanding that sand and salt can be very damaging elements to any property meant that durability was a key consideration when choosing the materials within.
As the central and communal part of the home, the living accommodation was an incredibly important part of the overall project. RX Architects collaborated with Portrait Kitchens on this part of the design to create a cohesive area comprised of kitchen, dining and living space. As the home is intended for family beach weekends it was important that this space, in particular, was a fun and social area in which family could gather to cook, eat, play and relax.
The kitchen aesthetic was an important part of the design as Mitchell Burton, Owner and Founder of Portrait Kitchens explains, “We wanted to create a warm feel to the room, so we used cabinetry with a fumed Eucalyptus veneer to provide warm, natural tones. The horizontal surfaces such as the worktops and floor needed to be durable, tactile and work with the sandy conditions typical of having a house on the beach.”
Caesarstone’s Primordia was chosen for the L shaped worktop, allowing for plenty of serving and food preparation space. Using the same surface to fully clad the 1810 sink ensured the final look was seamless. The end of the extended worktop run forms a breakfast bar with casual seating, creating a space for socialising whilst cooking and a place for informal meals. Siemen’s appliances are used throughout alongside an Elica vented induction hob and Quooker tap.
When asked why Caesarstone was the material of choice Mitchell Burton had the following to say:
“We love the quality of Caesarstone’s materials. Their durability made them the perfect choice for a busy family space, and they offer a great mix of industrial feel and natural looking finishes throughout their range.”
It was important that the surface chosen had cohesion with the overall scheme and tied in nicely with the beautiful vistas just beyond the windows and doors.
“Primordia really stood out to us,” Mitchell explains. “Nothing else in the market has the same look, feel or quality. The grey base colour, flecked and veined with rusty reds and light yellows all reflect the stones and sand of the beach outside the home, bringing these natural elements into the space. Primordia is such a tactile surface and works in all of the various areas of the space we needed to use it - kitchen worktops, kitchen backsplash, cladding under the fire and tv unit, and the windowsill.”
Like all Caesarstone’s surfaces, Primordia is highly durable and created with longevity in mind. As such, it is heat resistance, scratch resistant, hygienic, and low maintenance, making it an ideal choice for busy family homes across a multitude of locations. Adding Primordia to the fireplace and hiding the TV behind the same cabinetry as seen in the kitchen, helped create a unity between the separate zones within this living space as well as a beautiful focal point. The proximity of Primordia to the large glass patio doors and beach front deck help further the connection between the similarly coloured and patinaed quartz surface to the outside world.
However, whilst the final project is something of a unique beauty, building it wasn’t without its challenges, the main one being location. The house, having been built right on Camber Sands, has no access to any roads or footpaths and as such, every material used in this project had to be brought in from the main beach car park by digger and trailer, which of course added a layer of complexity to the project. Despite the challenges though, a stunning coastal home has been created, so it is no surprise to hear it was nominated for RIBA’s House of the Year award and featured on Grand Designs.
You can find out more about this project by watching Episode 1, Season 7 of Grand Designs.
Photography: Richard Chivers
