“This Dorset beach house shuns swanky Sandbanks style for something more nautical — and very nice” aptly reads the headline by Hugh Graham in The Sunday Times.
“The Houseboat is a welcome change from what [architect] Bowles calls the “Florida lite” architecture in Sandbanks: the ubiquitous white render and glass cubes that are striking in sun-drenched Miami, but jarring in temperate Britain. The curvy, woody craftsmanship is both rustic and stylish, “shiver me timbers” for the Pinterest generation.”
“Inside, Bowles did not set out to conjure up Captain Ahab. But the cavernous feel incorporates the split-level configuration that is the trademark of Zogolovitch’s company, Solidspace, which builds voluminous layouts in new London homes. He wanted the same here, so what might have been only two storeys is spread out over four half-levels that zigzag over each other, linked by half staircases of six steps, with no walls between living spaces. It’s a layout that feels bigger than its 2,300 sq ft…” “The split levels work well here,” Bowles says. “With a holiday home, you want a sense of communal living, and this is enhanced by the openness and seeing from one level to the next. It encourages people to come together. If a family had to live like that all the time, it might lead to fisticuffs, but people change their behaviour for a week on holiday. And they can retreat at night.”
To experience Solidspace, the Houseboat will be available for short-term rental in 2018. If you’d like to know more please join our mailing list on the home page.