Overlooking the English Channel on the south coast of England is where you will find this sumptuous three bedroom family home, which has been dubbed 'Lighthouse 65'. With views of the beach below, the Solent, and the Isle of Wight in the distance, this home is anything but a typical coastal house.
Why has it been named 'Lighthouse 65', you may ask? Well, not only does its coastal location offer sweeping views of the sea, and yes, it is in the typical shade of white given to lighthouses around the world, but it also has a very unique and intriguing talking point. Completed by AR Design Studio, let us show you why every home is not always as it seems.
Contrary to most homes, access from the street to Lighthouse 65 is via the roof, as the site of the home slopes 7 metres down from the road toward the beach. The three level home has the parking spaces on the roof at street level, with living spaces below. Access to the inside is via the this frameless glass cube, which leads you down a central concrete core, with living spaces spreading out from the centre.
The brief of the project was to make full use of the huge width of the site, with the resulting home sprawling out horizontally, rather than upwards. This also allowed for all the main living spaces of the home to take full advantage of the view on offer, with the living and bedrooms facing the Channel, while bathrooms and utility spaces occupy the street-facing side of the home.
From this angle, you can see the glass structure that sits atop the roof of the house, which acts as a light, hence the use of the term 'lighthouse'. Not only does it glow at night, visible from miles out to sea, it also has a connected barometer. This allows the glass cube to glow different colours according to weather conditions; green when the weather is fair and red when atmospheric pressure drops, warning passing yachtsman of possible stormy conditions.
Moving down through the glass lighthouse, down the stairs encased by the concrete core, we reach the living spaces of the interior.
Turning around, we are offered a taste of the view that was at the forefront of the minds of the architect. From the kitchen, living and dining areas, as well as the bedrooms, the beach and the Solent below are always visible.
So not to keep the fresh sea breeze at bay, full height sliding glass doors run the length of the home, ensuring the fresh monochrome palette is accentuated physically, as well as visually.
Although the bathroom faces the street rather than the coast, it too still feels fresh and breezy, with the concrete theme continuing here in the form of tiles that resemble the concrete core the home is built around.
The contemporary fit-out has a special charm of its own, without detracting from the stunning coastal scenery. Be it residential or otherwise, we love projects that interact with their surroundings, and have something special to give, rather than just becoming another building in the landscape.
To see another English coastal home with views just as stunning, check out this beach house in Devon.