Coastal home in Kent boasts cool interiors and a stretch of private beach |

last updated 18 February 2021

An ultra-cool coastal modern home in Kent with access to a private beach has gone on sale for £925,000.

The newly-built house was designed by Carl Turner of award-winning architectural practice Turner.Works. It’s situated on the Granville Cliff Estate, just over a minute’s walk from the estate’s private beach at Seasalter.

Clad in black corrugated steel, the house cuts a sharp profile; its mono-pitched roof was inspired by the bitumen-clad fishing huts that have become synonymous with Kent coastline over the past 150 years.

Inside, the house is very much of the now, oozing a distinctive Scandi-style aesthetic. Named Loft House principally for its voluminous, airy proportions, the house also earns its moniker for the configuration of its bedrooms on the ground floor and the living quarters upstairs in an elevated position with beautiful views.

Inside, you'll find a masterclass in OSB (oriented strand board, a versatile and durable building board constructed in a similar way to plywood). The sustainable material has been utilised for everything from dining benches and kitchen island outer to flooring, shelves and side tables.

The whole of the ground floor has polished concrete underfoot, with underfloor heating throughout. It is from this position that the material palette is first established; bespoke joinery in oriented strand board chimes beautifully with the polished concrete and large sections glazing.

There are four large king-size bedrooms on this floor; two with views out over the back garden and two facing the front garden. There are also two guest shower rooms and a utility room with plenty of storage space.

However, the first floor is arguably the heart of the home and is certainly occupied by the most impressive spaces. A staircase of OSB winds up, beneath a skylight, to the first floor, where a dramatic, expansive set of living spaces have been configured in an open-plan design.

A large living room with a Juliet balcony and a Morsø Panther wood-burner is positioned to one side, while a kitchen and dining room occupy the northern wing of the room.

The kitchen is crafted with black-faced ply and has a skylight overhead, as well as a long kitchen island with integrated hob and sink. There's a cosy dining area opposite with that bespoke OSB seating and built-in storage spaces.

There is a Juliet balcony with glazed doors which opens up between these two spaces overlooking the garden at the rear. This Juliet balcony has planning permission for a full balcony and a staircase leading down, directly to the garden.

There is also a study space or home office, positioned in a nook between the living room and the dining room on this floor.

There is a garden at the rear of the house, decked with scaffold boards and lined with black-stained raised planters filled with flax and evergreens.

This private space is perfect for outdoor dining, sunbathing and barbecues in the warmer months.

The house has been designed with sustainability and eco-credentials firmly in mind. It runs entirely on electricity, so running costs are very efficient. There's also an air source heat pump to ensure that rooms are well heated and ventilated year round.

Loft House is perfectly positioned for the private beach, owned by the Granville Estate at Seasalter. The beach is quieter than the main stretches of coast of Whitstable; it is wonderful for swimming and has some of the most dramatic sunset views along the Kent Coastline.

The historic towns of Seasalter and Whitstable were entered into the Domesday book and originally famed for their oysters with which they supplied Canterbury Cathedral. That epicurean tradition has continued locally with the annualWhitstableOyster Festival, and inThe Sportsmanwhich has helda Michelin star since 2008.There is a year-round indoor farmers market atThe Goods Shedin Canterbury which is about 15 minutes by car and the excellentMacknade FineFoodscan be found in nearby Faversham.

A stroll along the beach, Whitstable is highly favoured for its thriving independent high street, arts scene, working harbour, and diversity of places to eat and drink. Grain and Hearth is a particular favourite with locals, for sourdough bread and excellent coffee.

This lovely stretch of coast is popular throughout the year for its wealth of beaches, watersports and proximity to Canterbury which offers a wide range of amenities and cultural interests. The seaside town of Margate lies just a short distance along the coast with the Turner Contemporary situated on its seafront.

The home is on sale for £925,000 via The Modern House.

Ruth Doherty is a lifestyle journalist based in London. An experienced freelance digital writer and editor, she is known for covering everything from travel and interiors to fashion and beauty. She regularly contributes to Livingetc, Ideal Home and Homes & Gardens, as well as titles like Prima and Red. Outside of work, her biggest loves are endless cups of tea, almond croissants, shopping for clothes she doesn’t need, and booking holidays she does.