the project

Our brief was for a new four-bedroom family house on the shore of the Solway Firth, to sit easily within the character of the neighbouring Kippford homes. Our clients wanted a light warm home with an open-plan kitchen, dining and relaxing area which would make the most of the striking views over the glen to the sea.

Traditional-style Scottish architecture was the preference of the clients, and as always, we created designs that adhere to the vernacular of the local area, with materials, scale and details all taking influence from nearby architecture. The house we designed sits appropriately and attractively within the existing landscape.

Wanting to live more sustainably was also a primary request, with as little cost to the environment as possible in an energy-efficient home.

How we worked

The style of the house we designed is crisp and clean with details such as the three first floor dormers respecting a typically traditional style. This picks up the rhythm of the existing houses along the coastal road. We designed with respect to the local architecture, by using granite stone for window sills and the doorstep, whitewash and render, clipped eaves, a slated roof, and exposed rafter ends. The simple palettes of the design and wider area resonate with the surrounding natural beauty of the Solway Coast.

However, we were also able to give the interior plan a much more open and flowing design than those of its Victorian neighbours. The main body of the house contains two large public rooms, a kitchen/dining room and a substantial living area, all filled with south-west light and enjoying views to the water. Further accommodation is tucked away behind the main one-and-a-half storey house so that the scale of the house appears in keeping with its neighbours, while housing plentiful interior space.

The front of the house has a familiar theme of three elements, in this case two wall head dormers and a smaller central dormer, broken up with a projecting bay and veranda roof. The rear is simple with a gabled porch, which faces the drive making the front door obvious on arrival, and creating space for parking.

Energy efficiency is addressed with solar panels, and an air source heat pump.

Success of the project

Now that this project is complete, it obviously fulfils its original aims for a traditional Scottish-looking home which doesn’t detract from its surrounds. It’s a spacious, warm, energy-efficient space and the owners are delighted with their new home.

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