The Property:
A gorgeous, traditional one bed fisherman’s cottage in Port Isaac. It was completed within a few months and included a new kitchen / breakfast room, bathroom and re-worked loft space; freshly redecorated and refurnished thought out, reusing some furniture and lots of clever Hops and Camellias tricks.
The Client Brief:
Our clients live and work in London and wanted to use the cottage solely for their young family for holidays. The original property layout did not use the already tight space effectively and they wanted to adapt the limited one bedroom interior to sleep and accommodate up to 7.
The property needed a new bathroom to maximise this room, a full rewire and a clever lighting solution, that wasn’t obtrusive in any way and also maximised an airy feel. The clients wanted to replace the existing kitchen and create a kitchen / breakfast room and finally a total redecorate and refurbish throughout to ensure every corner of the property was working as efficiently as possible.
They wanted the house to have a coastal feel without seaside clichés, our Hops and Camellias signature.
The Process:
Elaine always starts by asking a client, what activities do you do, do you eat in or out, what do you want from the property? So she can then understand how the house needs to be used. We spent time a lot of time on site analysing the space and flow of the cottage and how we could make clever use of it.
An inspired new layout for the kitchen and bathroom, just like a boat, ensured every tiny space of the cottage was usable for something.
We removed any utility items and relocated them to the outhouse to allow for additional breakfast space seating in the kitchen. And the attic room transformed to a ships cabin compete with low-level cabin beds, perfect for a children’s seaside adventure.
The lighting scheme added the final touches, remodelled throughout and really accentuating the new personality of this newly spacious feeling home.
The Result:
Ship shape! This one bed traditional fisherman cottage, meets all of the clients requirements. A space to cook and eat, that didn’t compromise the original living space and a home that now sleeps up to 7.
The property is clean, fresh and sharp with a subtle nautical vibe. The clients not only have a cottage that now works exactly as they need but one that will grow with their young family. Should they choose to rent it out in the future, it will now achieve a higher return on investment by achieving better rental rates from the use of space and creating more demand as a property that can sleep and accommodate a family or small group.
So many properties have bags of untapped potential and it’s part of our job that we absolutely adore, if you have a property that needs some fresh professional eyes or you need some advice on how your home / holiday home could work better for you, just give us a call, we’d love to help.
