The PDR Sea Cottage reimagines an existing coastal home with a rich history of multiple additions that occurred over time with an accretive, materially sensitive approach. Rather than stripping back or simplifying these layers, the design concept focused on embracing and enhancing the cottage’s evolution. Our approach was to treat the structure as a living artifact, adding new layers of material and space that both harmonize with and amplify the cottage’s original character.
Each new element is designed to celebrate the existing structure’s complexity, weaving modern materials with the aged textures of the original home. By carefully introducing contrasting yet complementary materials, such as weathered wood, glass, and steel, we emphasized the building’s narrative and deepened the spatial experience. Inside, the layered spaces unfold organically, creating a series of interconnected rooms that offer varying degrees of openness, intimacy, and views of the surrounding landscape.
The project becomes an exploration of time, texture, and transformation—revealing the history of the home while adding contemporary layers that enhance its form and function. Through this architectural dialogue, the Sea Cottage emerges as both a familiar and entirely new experience, offering a rich interplay of light, shadow, materiality, and space.
We worked closely with the Bachelor client who works in the entertainment industry to make this a home that when he’s not travelling the world on production jobs, he can relax and contemplate the multiple vistas available on all floors of the house.
Photos by Sean Costello
