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Houzz Tour: A Family’s Coastal Cottage Made Light and Open
A radical reworking of the layout and a fresh colour palette turned a rundown Cornish house into a family home
The new owners of this “wreck” of a cottage in Cornwall originally wanted interior designer Tanya Leech to create an open cooking, dining and living space and simply refresh the rest of the house. But, with later extensions having left what was originally a three-room home with a long, wasted corridor, Tanya could see the potential to do so much more…
The layout of the cottage before Tanya got involved wasted lots of space and was awkward.
“The original cottage was effectively a kitchen, dining room and living room,” Tanya says. “But you couldn’t walk from the dining room to the living room without coming back out to the kitchen.”
“The original cottage was effectively a kitchen, dining room and living room,” Tanya says. “But you couldn’t walk from the dining room to the living room without coming back out to the kitchen.”
The rooms were knocked through to create a kitchen, dining and living room in one open space. It’s much better for the couple and their children and more sociable when family and friends visit.
Tanya also made much better use of the corridor at the back.
Tanya also made much better use of the corridor at the back.
The kitchen the homeowners inherited was rudimentary to say the least.
Once the three rooms were knocked into one, Tanya fitted a new kitchen at one end, with units in two colours. The cottage has views across the sea towards St Michael’s Mount and, with this spectacular outlook plus a lively household of young children and dogs, restful colours that toned with the landscape were called for.
The entrance to this end of the room used to be a single door with a little window alongside, but the two were combined into a double door opening. French windows now maximise the flow of light.
On the other side of the double doors is a playroom, plus a utility room containing a ground source heat pump, hot-water cylinder, washing machine, tumble drier, sink and storage.
Kitchen, DeVOL, painted in Mushroom and Pantry Blue. Pendant lights, Original BTC.
The entrance to this end of the room used to be a single door with a little window alongside, but the two were combined into a double door opening. French windows now maximise the flow of light.
On the other side of the double doors is a playroom, plus a utility room containing a ground source heat pump, hot-water cylinder, washing machine, tumble drier, sink and storage.
Kitchen, DeVOL, painted in Mushroom and Pantry Blue. Pendant lights, Original BTC.
The walls in the kitchen and living space had an uneven, rough plaster finish, so insulation and plasterboard were added and a damp-proof course fitted. This left deeper sills, so Tanya fitted them with pads to create window seats.
Fabric on seat pad, William Yeoward.
Fabric on seat pad, William Yeoward.
The old cottage was dark, so Tanya suggested having a vaulted ceiling to brighten the interior. Rooflights were also fitted to bring in daylight from above, and the top two panels of the front door were replaced with glass.
She chose dining chairs in two different paint shades to avoid a brand-new feel for the scheme. “It looks as if it’s evolved over time,” she says.
The pendant lights hung over the dining table have a copper interior that’s picked up in the trio above the island, giving continuity to the space.
Pendant lights (over dining table), Original BTC. Dining table; dining chairs, all Neptune.
She chose dining chairs in two different paint shades to avoid a brand-new feel for the scheme. “It looks as if it’s evolved over time,” she says.
The pendant lights hung over the dining table have a copper interior that’s picked up in the trio above the island, giving continuity to the space.
Pendant lights (over dining table), Original BTC. Dining table; dining chairs, all Neptune.
The old living area had an open fireplace.
A wood-burning stove was fitted where the open fire used to be in the new, larger room. “The builders sourced green oak to create a mantel shelf above it,” Tanya says.
With the family and dogs sharing the seating, she chose a practical fabric for the sofa. It continues the blue and white palette that evokes sea and sky.
Tanya had a unit built to the left of the stove to make a recess for the TV and prevent it dominating the space. There are cupboards below for stowing DVDs, toys and games.
There was originally a doorway to the right of the fireplace (see the previous, ‘before’ photo) but, with the front door situated just to the right of the cocktail trolley seen on the right here, it became redundant. The opening has now been converted into a window instead.
Sofa, Sofa.com; upholstered in blue fabric, Designers Guild. Coffee table, Neptune. Wood-burning stove, Kernow Fires.
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With the family and dogs sharing the seating, she chose a practical fabric for the sofa. It continues the blue and white palette that evokes sea and sky.
Tanya had a unit built to the left of the stove to make a recess for the TV and prevent it dominating the space. There are cupboards below for stowing DVDs, toys and games.
There was originally a doorway to the right of the fireplace (see the previous, ‘before’ photo) but, with the front door situated just to the right of the cocktail trolley seen on the right here, it became redundant. The opening has now been converted into a window instead.
Sofa, Sofa.com; upholstered in blue fabric, Designers Guild. Coffee table, Neptune. Wood-burning stove, Kernow Fires.
Find carpenters and joiners on Houzz.
Part of the old corridor has become a playroom for the children. The low unit has space inside to store toys and is a convenient height for play. “The desk is for dad to put his laptop on,” Tanya says.
Walls painted in Stiffkey Blue, Farrow & Ball. Roman blind fabric, Romo.
Walls painted in Stiffkey Blue, Farrow & Ball. Roman blind fabric, Romo.
The cloakroom off the entrance hall has been fitted out to provide a place to tidy away shoes and coats. It’s also home to the wine fridge the owners wanted.
Tanya designed the storage and chose tongue-and-groove panelling to clad the wall behind. “It gives you a hardwearing surface when coats are damp,” she says. “A painted [plaster] wall would look scuffed quite quickly.”
The floor tiles in here and the hallway are limestone. “We needed something practical for muddy boots and dogs,” Tanya says. “It doesn’t show the dirt too much and it has a rustic look with tumbled edges.”
Wall painted in Stiffkey Blue, Farrow & Ball.
Tanya designed the storage and chose tongue-and-groove panelling to clad the wall behind. “It gives you a hardwearing surface when coats are damp,” she says. “A painted [plaster] wall would look scuffed quite quickly.”
The floor tiles in here and the hallway are limestone. “We needed something practical for muddy boots and dogs,” Tanya says. “It doesn’t show the dirt too much and it has a rustic look with tumbled edges.”
Wall painted in Stiffkey Blue, Farrow & Ball.
The master bedroom features soft shades of pink on the walls and headboard. Just like in the other rooms, the curtains here hang entirely against the walls when they’re drawn back, maximising the light coming into the room.
The owners wanted a large bed and, because the room’s dimensions aren’t huge, it left limited space for bedside tables. So to keep the tabletops free for night-time essentials, Tanya chose pendant lights for either side of the bed rather than table lamps.
Pendant lights, Jim Lawrence. Walls painted in Great White, Farrow & Ball. Curtain and headboard fabric, both Romo. Harlosh bedside table, Pinch.
The owners wanted a large bed and, because the room’s dimensions aren’t huge, it left limited space for bedside tables. So to keep the tabletops free for night-time essentials, Tanya chose pendant lights for either side of the bed rather than table lamps.
Pendant lights, Jim Lawrence. Walls painted in Great White, Farrow & Ball. Curtain and headboard fabric, both Romo. Harlosh bedside table, Pinch.
Tanya angled two of the walls in here to make space for a built-in wardrobe (not seen).
She commissioned a local artist to produce the pen and ink drawing of a wind-sculpted tree, which fits nicely with the simple, elegant décor.
Drawing, Nicole Heidaripour. Lamp base and shade, John Lewis.
Drawing, Nicole Heidaripour. Lamp base and shade, John Lewis.
The master en suite features a short claw-foot tub, giving it a traditional feel. The floor tiles in here and the other bathrooms are limestone.
Walls painted in Peignoir, Farrow & Ball. Bath, Victoria + Albert Baths. Roman blind fabric, Romo.
Walls painted in Peignoir, Farrow & Ball. Bath, Victoria + Albert Baths. Roman blind fabric, Romo.
The basin is traditional in style to complement the freestanding bath, and a softly patterned tile splashback was added above it. Each of the bathrooms was fitted with pocket doors like this one to maximise the internal space.
Basin and stand, Lefroy Brooks. Tiles, Artisans of Devizes. Taps, Samuel Heath.
Find out everything you need to know about pocket doors.
Basin and stand, Lefroy Brooks. Tiles, Artisans of Devizes. Taps, Samuel Heath.
Find out everything you need to know about pocket doors.
A chest of drawers boosts storage in the hallway near to both the master bedroom and the children’s room. Generous storage throughout the home was a must-have for the owners, so there’s also a built-in linen cupboard near these rooms.
Chichester Grand chest of drawers; Hanley lamp stand and shade, all Neptune. Roman blind fabric, Romo.
Chichester Grand chest of drawers; Hanley lamp stand and shade, all Neptune. Roman blind fabric, Romo.
Fish scale tiles protect and decorate the walls around the bath in the family bathroom. The balance of colours was carefully selected, with paler shades predominating. “Too many deep colours would have made the room too dark,” Tanya says.
Tiles, Fired Earth.
Tiles, Fired Earth.
The guest bedroom is located away from the family’s rooms, to the left of the entrance hall. It has its own en suite shower room, for which a small amount of extra space was stolen from the bedroom.
The room has a new door, like the other rooms in the house. The handle is pewter coloured. “We didn’t want rustic latched handles, nor brushed stainless-steel contemporary ones,” Tanya says. “These have modern style with a traditional finish.”
Headboard fabric, Romo.
The room has a new door, like the other rooms in the house. The handle is pewter coloured. “We didn’t want rustic latched handles, nor brushed stainless-steel contemporary ones,” Tanya says. “These have modern style with a traditional finish.”
Headboard fabric, Romo.
The exterior shows the later additions to the property. The open-plan kitchen, dining and living room is in the old, stone part of the cottage, with the family bedrooms in the white section to the right and the guest suite in the white section to the left.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite feature in this coastal cottage? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite feature in this coastal cottage? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here? A professional couple with three young children
Location Near Marazion, Cornwall
Property A detached cottage around 100 years old with more recent additions
Size Three bedrooms and three bathrooms
Designer Tanya Leech of Tanya Leech
Photos by Anya Rice