STARTING OVER New-build with a stunning sea views
When her house renovation stalled and turned into a rebuild, it gave Louise Ingram the chance to create her own version of coastal style
The year that Louise and Chris Ingram became proud parents to twin baby girls was also the year they ended up knocking down their old home and turning it into a muddy construction site. It wasn’t quite what they’d had in mind: ‘The original idea was to slowly renovate and extend the 1950s bungalow that used to stand on this spot, where we’d lived for four years,’ explains Louise. ‘But when our builders did some exploration, they discovered rising damp and rotten structural timbers. We had to face the fact that knocking it down and rebuilding it made more sense - financially and practically.’
Despite the rapid escalation of their project from renovation to rebuild, the couple were unfazed: ‘With a five-year-old and twin babies, we figured we had a pretty crazy year in store anyway,’ remembers Louise. ‘We looked at each other and said, “Let’s just go for it!”’
Although they ended up submitting an entirely fresh planning application for a new house on the plot, the ground floor layout remained almost unchanged from the initial sketches that Louise and a draughtsman had prepared for their old bungalow. ‘I wanted an open-plan sociable space,’ she says. ‘The focus of the design was something that would work for everyday family life, while making the most of the beautiful coastal views.’
During the building work, the family decamped to a property owned by Louise’s parents in St Austell, 40 minutes’ drive away. Work started well, but as autumn turned to winter, delays crept in. ‘It was an unusually cold year and the concrete couldn’t be laid if the temperature dipped below 4ºC, as it won’t set properly,’ says Louise. Every morning she and Chris would anxiously check the level on the thermometer: ‘As soon as it crept above 4ºC, it would be a case of, “Right, time to get on with the building!”’ she says.
Each weekday morning, Louise would drive their son Louie (plus the twins) to his school back in their home village. ‘Then I’d often head to the site to check on progress, with the twins bundled up in the buggy,’ she says. In all, the build took nearly 14 months. ‘That wasn’t how I’d imagined spending the girls’ first year, but I kept reminding myself that it was all part of creating a home for our family,’ Louise says. As the house was built
from scratch, plenty of ecofriendly features could be incorporated to make it as ‘passive’ as possible, including air-source heat pumps and solar and photo voltaic panels. The house also has a heat recovery system, and a boiler behind the log burner heats the water. ‘Having lived most of my life in Cornwall, I knew that a house here has to function all year round, not just in the summer sunshine,’ says Louise. Double glazing was a given and her favourite feature in the house is the window next to the woodburner. ‘Even if there’s a storm blowing, we can sit on the sofa and look at the view, while staying cosy and warm inside,’ she says.
The ground floor has an open-plan feel, but with wide openings between the rooms rather than no walls at all. ‘We wanted to futureproof the design,’ explains Louise. ‘If we need more privacy over the coming years, double doors can easily be inserted into the gaps.’ Louise also futureproofed the house by using durable materials: ‘The poured and polished concrete flooring has lasted brilliantly,’ she says. In the kitchen, they fitted Unistone worktops: ‘They were actually much better value than the big-name compound stone surfaces and, eight years on, still look as good as new,’ she adds. Louise’s first career was as a textile designer, but she now co-runs Mint House Interiors, managing interior design and building work for owners of Cornish holiday homes. ‘Working on my own home taught me a great deal about how to create a style that works for a coastal home but isn’t clichéd,’ she says. ‘Natural textures are important, but you wouldn’t want them to overwhelm a space. I love, for example, the warmth that wood brings to a scheme, but I prefer to add it in the form of furniture, rather than wall-to-wall timber cladding or rustic floorboards.’ For Louise, a plain backdrop is always a winner. ‘It stays unobtrusive, allowing you to then add your own personality.’
Most of the fabrics and furniture are in muted and natural colours. ‘In a coastal house I think brighter shades can distract your eye from the main attraction – the fantastic view from the windows.’ Right from the moment that she and Chris found the old bungalow that stood on that site, the setting itself was the irresistible draw.
‘I grew up by the sea in Cornwall and I love that our children can now enjoy the same carefree experience,’ Louise says. ‘To me, this feels like the most natural place to bring up our family.’