7 Mawgan Bay View

Interior Design Project for A Coastal Home in Cornwall.

Part of an exclusive new development overlooking Mawgan Porth Beach, 7 Bay View is a spacious three-bed holiday let offering families a retreat to relax.

The owner of 7 Bay View contacted me initially as a direct referral from a previous client. The client was so impressed with her neighbour’s interiors at no.6, which I had designed, that she engaged me to help her to create a cohesive design scheme. Initially, the owner did not intend for the house to be let, only to be used by family and friends. She has since decided to let through holiday letting agency Beach Retreats.

The open plan kitchen and dining space, though very spacious, was quite dull and uninspiring. Grey kitchen units, white walls and limewashed floors, made the space blend into one, leaving a feeling of emptiness. The client wanted to inject life and colour into the space creating warmth and a sense of homeliness but was unsure where to begin.

Keeping some key pieces in the room, like the over-sized grey corner sofa, I worked with the client on designing the colour scheme. Playing with the tonal greys and wash-out whites in the space, I convinced the client to paint the room’s walls in two different shades of blue and grey to add depth and enhance the interesting shapes and shadows cast by the high ceilings.

The client had purchased lime green, pink and orange cushions for the sofa, however on their own they didn’t add much to the room. Using bright, warm colours I introduced turquoise into the scheme, with knitted cotton cushions, which replaced the lime green and pink cushions. I centralised the design with a large golden orange shaggy rug. Anglepoise lamps were added as a final touch in the living area to create low level light for a more intimate and cosy space.

To bring a sense of cohesiveness to the open plan living space, I used lovely soft blue/grey linen as lightweight curtains in the apex window (that could be drawn right back as not to obscure the beach view) and hung roman blinds in the same fabric in the dining and kitchen areas.

The client and her family are keen surfers, so they commissioned large surfing images to exhibit in the living space area to introduce bright colour. I picked out colours from the artwork and played with a clash of pigments to create a cheerful coastal scheme. I added a tripod standing lamp with a deckchair-like stripe fabric to the corner of the dining area, which was specially made by QuirkUK. The client loved the energy of colour used in this space, so commissioned a handmade surfboard to accompany the scheme, which now hangs proudly on the wall.

In the bedrooms, the client had already purchased white beds, bedside tables, wardrobes and curtains. Although the curtains were in a soft pale blue shade, they weren’t professionally hung. I convinced the client to professionally hang the curtains and to add full length voiles in bedrooms one and two to increase privacy and filter light. In the bedroom three, we opted for roman blinds.

The client’s husband isn’t keen on headboards, but headboards can make a bedroom feel luxuriously cosy, so we agreed to make painted built-in wood headboards to add a coastal design element to the rooms.

In the master bedroom we created a feature wall using a mid-grey colour. On the bed, knitted sage green and velvet teal cushions with complimenting throw were added for texture and sensory feeling.

Similarly, in the second bedroom we used a dark denim blue on the main wall and added a pop of colour to the scheme, using mustard yellow table lamps from John Lewis, and turquoise and mustard cushions from Orla Kiely and Scion on the bed.

In bedroom three, we painted the walls in a soft light-reflecting pale blue. A mustard yellow fabric from Scion was used for the roman blind, which looks fab next to the yellow upholstered chair which the client had purchased previously. I added dark teal Moroccan printed oversized cushions to the bed to add warmth and cosiness along with the knitted grey and teal cushions. I’ve been told by the client that her teenagers love this room when they are using the house as their family retreat.

The property is now available to rent through Beach Retreats.

For free interior design advice, head to Tracey’s blog.