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A Modern Holiday Home on a Cliff on the South Coast

Originally hired to complete an extension, AR Design Studio ended up designing an entire house after the original was split in half because of a landslip. The holiday home, dubbed The Crow’s Nest, resides on top of a cliff on the UK’s South Coast and due to possible future movements, they worked with engineers to create a solution.

First, a concrete slat was poured into the ground with strategically placed dwarf walls built on top. Working as an adjustable “raft,” a floating structural frame was placed on top of the walls allowing for potential movement. If that happens, there are mechanical jacks placed underneath the frame in case the house needs to be leveled again.

The home’s design began with a traditional cabin form that broke off from there to split, twist, and rotate into four pods. The residence perfectly blends with the surrounding landscape with its larch lad exterior.

The smallest pod houses the entryway which leads to the main living pod. There, you’ll find the open living space with the kitchen, dining, and living room that face out to the coastal views via the sliding glass doors.

In the tower pod, there’s an open plan master bedroom and bathroom on the top floor with the children’s bedroom, utility, and bathroom underneath. The pod on the opposite end is for guests and can be closed off when they don’t need it.

Before

Photos by Martin Gardner.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.