HOME + GARDEN
THE DUNES CONT .
What was The Dunes development brief / objective ?
I had purposely chosen a house with potential ; my challenge was to realise that , taking into account my design ideas while also trying to develop and live thereafter with a low carbon footprint and as sustainably as possible .
It was obvious that the house needed more breathing space and as a photographer , light is something that I play with daily . As such , I wanted to bring as much light into the property as possible , create a sense of space and utilise traditional materials with a modern twist .
In terms of practical design , I needed to ensure that there was ample storage for my windsurfing equipment , and a place where I could strip off my wetsuit under a hot outside shower in the middle of winter was a must ! Of course this has also created the perfect spot for showering off little sandy toes and four-legged friends too . Design wise , I wanted the house to feel earthy and connected to the unique natural environment surrounding the property , but to have a contemporary edge . Despite the longevity of certain plastic / synthetic building materials , it was an aesthetic decision to use wood over these materials so the floors are oak and the house is clad in traditional wooden weatherboard .
How did you begin the redevelopment and design process for The Dunes ?
I have been lucky to have worked in beautiful location houses throughout my career as a photographer and am always soaking up what I see , which meant that I already had some clear design goals in mind .
The design process was informed by extensive research , cherry picking from websites like The Modern House and Remodelista to create
moodboards for the interior room by room , as well as the exterior and garden . The process was organic though , and continually changing with a lot of trial and error .
Talk us through the redesign and build .
As I wanted the house to have a low carbon footprint it needed to be as thermally efficient as possible , especially given it wasn ' t a new build and my budget was limited . There had been little thought to this when it was originally built . Primarily , this meant stripping off the roof and building out the eves so the roof and exterior walls could be clad in 100mm of solid insulation . The heating of the house was another big factor here , so it ’ s now centrally heated via an air source heat pump system which is controlled via smart thermostats . Large doubleglazed modern aluminum doors and windows help keep the heat in and also trap the heat of sunny days in winter .
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