Art Deco design with waterside views and a special steel door

What was the brief for Northshore?
To create a sustainable and flexible family home, which optimises the wonderful waterside location. We designed four buildings to meet the clients' needs: a three-storey house, a single-storey annex, a beach house, and a boat shed.

What’s the inspiration for the design of the house?
The architecture of the house and annex draws on the distinctive Art Deco DNA of the original 1930s house and neighbouring Grade II Listed modern movement homes, designed by architects Connell, Ward and Lucas in 1934. These homes feature white render walls, horizontal bands of glazing, and glass-to-glass corner windows. Externally, white render is used for the house and annex, while black glass rainscreen cladding is used for the second-floor pod and beach house. Windows are black powder-coated aluminium with the remaining elements in Corten Steel and untreated timber. Internally, floors and joinery are oak.

Why did you choose an Urban Front door?
We like the system, and the detailing is neat. It is a particularly good fit because we were keen to have a weathered steel door, and not many companies offer this.

Why did you choose the Raw design in steel?
We chose a series of weathered steel elements within the landscape, which form screens and boundaries, and we wanted a weathered steel canopy and door to act as a visual ‘bridge’ between the garden and the home – it is also a very effective material for such a highly exposed coastal site.

What about the inside of the main property?
The ground floor of the house has three interconnected living spaces facing the harbour to the north side, each with a distinct identity. To the east is a TV room, in the centre a lounge, and to the west a large kitchen/dining room. Large sliding glass doors with slim profile frames maximise daylight and views and connect to the exterior spaces. Sliding glass doors on the south side of the kitchen open onto the courtyard. A white-painted steel helical stair rises from a generous entrance hall all the way to a second-floor study with large glass doors that open onto roof decks to both north and south. On the first floor are five double bedrooms, each with ensuite, plus a large landing with a library.

What about the layout of the other buildings?
​The annex building contains a double garage, plantroom, and two apartments, and creates a sheltered, suntrap courtyard to the south of the house. The courtyard is arranged in a series of rectangular decks with a reflection pool at the centre, planted with olive trees and a variety of soft grasses and flowers. Permeable Corten Steel fencing divides the courtyard and garden zones from the entrance driveway. The beach house (see below) provides a springboard for activities both on and off the water, and is a place to embrace views of the harbour. Just to the west is a sunken deck with bench seating, which provides shelter from the wind.

Is Northshore sustainable?
All three buildings are highly insulated with heat recovery mechanical ventilation. A 45KW deep-bore ground source heat pump provides energy for all underfloor heating and domestic hot water. The whole site is covered by a fully integrated smart home control system. Both the house and annex roofs are planted with wildflowers.