SALCOMBE, Devon

Once a sail loft, now a perfect, bijou, light filled holiday home

In the heart of any of our riverside towns, you will find old sail lofts which are quite often rather sad, damp, run-down properties in need of some major tender, loving, care – exactly the case for this project!

We spent many site meetings up to our ankles in sea water with only a torch to help us, whilst the tide lapped at our feet. Access was incredibly challenging with building materials having to be brought in along the beach at low tide. To avoid bringing the whole town to a halt in the height of the summer holidays, we installed all the furniture and curtains in the wee small hours of the morning, so that we could park the lorries on the street.

It was a massive undertaking, but it has turned into a massive success. The roof lights flood the room with sunshine in the day and you can see the stars at night. The first floor open plan living space has a neat contemporary kitchen, a dining table to sit at least six and plenty of comfortable seating to enjoy either the passing boats on the river, or the wood burning stove on winter nights.
Two compact bedrooms and bathrooms were squeezed into the rear of the first floor, where we kept the furnishings to the minimum, but simply enhanced them with some modern artwork.
The basement area makes for a cosy, quiet retreat with a bolder colour scheme to add impact and warmth into this low-ceiling area.
It’s amazing what can be fitted into the tiniest of spaces when you try!