Beauty, isolation and serious bling
THE Cornish coast is known for many things – ancient ruined castles, desolate cliffs, a thriving arts scene, high-grade surfing – but blinging property isn’t generally one of them. Blue Point, a £3.25m home overlooking the bobbing fishing boats of the tiny fishing village of Gorran Haven on Cornwall’s eastern coast, is the kind of space-aged, super-designed, cliff-top lair one might more commonly expect to find in Malibu or Mykonos. The view out over the sea is heart-stopping.
Outré it may be but it’s also sympathetic. The building is built into the cliff face, sinking 11 metres into the rock and taking the house out of the view of surrounding properties. The front of the house is a wall of glass, maximising that panorama, and taking advantage of the fact that the sun remains in view from rising to setting.
Occupying 12,000 feet of floor space and with five bedrooms, the house is a place of sleek, blissed-out cool. Designer Helen Blake, whose previous projects include the Cornish outpost of Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant and the Cotton Bay Village resort in St Lucia, has stuck to minimalist tones, clean lines, gleaming surfaces and groovy furnishings to create an environment that’s the essence of movie star chic.
On which note, the hot tub sunk into the floor at the end of the bed in the master bedroom is a marvellous indulgence.
As you’d expect with a house of this type, the tech is as high as it comes. There’s a cinema room, Lutron mood lighting, and a house-wide audio system operated with a portable electronic tablet. The house also has a sizeable swimming pool, plus steam room and spa.
If all that bling and razzmatazz gets too much, it’s a beautiful location from which to explore the isolated wilds of the Cornish peninsula – before returning for a splash in the hot tub as you watch the sun set.
Contact Winkworth on 01392 422 320 or visit www.winkworth.co.uk