Emma Crosby and Simon Mitchell on restoring their mid-century house by the sea in Devon
The five-bedroom house, completed in 1971, has been built with an extraordinary geometric design, with beautiful timber beams and pretty stone walls. Both have been left exposed inside, where original pale-pink marble and parquet floors run underfoot. From the open-tread staircase to the copper-hood fireplace at the heart of the living area, the house has many features that call to mind early modernist homes. “This house is clearly inspired by the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright,” says Simon, sitting in the open-plan living room with Emma.
Since moving in, Emma and Simon have sensitively put their own stamp on the house. When it came to decorating, for instance, the couple used colours that chime beautifully with the building, such as orange, teal and golden yellow. “They’re all indicative of that mid-century period,” says Emma. They also added double-glazing – “everywhere we could insulate we did” – and installed a 24v solar array on the roof of the garage. “From March through to September, the house is 100 per cent self-sufficient for electricity,” Simon says.
And how could we not mention the house’s proximity to the sea? It gently slopes towards the River Taw, which leads to the open water. “From the living room, you have a view of the estuary, so you can see the tide coming in and out,” Emma says. As she explains, keen surfers needn’t look up the tide times, as you can see them through the windows. You can also predict the weather, “just by looking west and seeing when the clouds are going to break and the rainfall,” says Simon.
“This house most definitely has a soul. We’ve loved being custodians of it,” Simon concludes. “And we hope whoever buys this house will become its new custodians.” Watch our film to see more of the house – and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you never miss a new episode.
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