Extending an Art-Deco-Inspired Beach House in West Sussex.

We’ve really enjoyed working on this project in East Preston, West Sussex, for our clients who wanted to extend and improve their lovely beachside home. The property is on a stunning plot, with direct access to the beach and a fantastic view over the English Channel. The brief was essentially to add another storey to create a suite within the home and to upgrade the rest of the house and garden.

Our architecture and interior design teams worked together closely on this project from start to finish, including successfully achieving planning consent from Arun District Council.

The first task was to work out how to add an extra floor on top of the existing house. The solution was to install a steel frame structure that sits on top of the masonry below. The frame spans across the width of the house to provide as much space as possible, with a private deck to take advantage of the sea views.

The suite is connected to the house below with a glazed stair tower framed with vertical fins that moderate and break up the sunlight. The master suite features a bedroom, ensuite, dressing area a further living area and lots of glazing for the sea views. Both brie soleil and canopies have been fitted to control the solar gain and prevent overheating in the summer months.

Externally, the steel-framed box has been clad and rendered, with upgrades to the existing house that give the impression of a newly built property.

The interior design brief focussed on space planning and giving the house a wow factor, which is a great instruction for our team. We focussed on getting the room layouts right, maximising the use of space and orienting all furniture to take advantage of the views. The style is contemporary with modern finishes, lots of natural light and pops of colour, such as a tropical palm tree patterned wallpaper that suits our clients’ tastes and leans into the art deco style.

A small kitchenette has been added and built by Indy Interiors, who also delivered the custom-designed bedroom joinery. The master suite has lots of circulation space and floor-to-ceiling windows to maximise the impact of the natural light.

The final piece of the puzzle was to consider the external elements and landscaping. The house had a kidney-shaped pool, but this needed to be replaced with a rectangular pool, terrace and barbecue area, including a new utility and outside pool store with a shower block. The remainder of the garden needed upgrading and it has been landscaped to complement and complete the makeover of this property.

We are pleased we could also help our clients to include a full photovoltaic solar installation in their project, which they use to power batteries for home running and charging their EVs.

We’re very happy to see this project completed. It has been a year and a half in the making and we’re happy to have been part of creating this beautiful home in Sussex. You can enjoy some photos in the gallery above and a video below.

Some of the suppliers we have enjoyed working with on this project include:

• Cloud 9 Contractors
• Indy Interiors
• Floorboards by Havwoods
• Tapware by Lusso Stone
• Master ensuite vanity units by RAK Ceramics
• Marble effect tiles to all bathrooms by Italgraniti
• Master Ensuite & FF Ensuite metro style tiles by Porcelain Superstore
• Pavilion Glass
• Rustington Bathrooms
• Orbro Swimming Pools

Considering extending or renovating your home? Why not get in touch with our experienced architecture and interior design team? We’ll be happy to help.