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Sea Lane House

Built in 1936 by the great Bauhaus-trained architect and designer Marcel Breuer, Sea Lane House 
in Littlehampton is regarded as Breuer’s most accomplished work in Europe. It was designed while he was working in collaboration with the British architect F.R.S. Yorke and as one of the most distinguished examples of 20th century architecture on the South Coast it was Grade II listed in 1978.
The current owner turned to JPA to assist with not only restoring the exterior of the house to its original form, but also to upgrade and make subtle changes to its interior to make this modern classic suitable for 21st century living.

Inevitably, after seven decades and more the house was in need of repair and modernising, although as the same family had owned the house since the 1940s, it had been largely unaltered.

Our approach was to return the house externally to its original state, but internally to undertake some sensitive but important upgrading.

We gained all the necessary consents for all works to allow the client to undertake the works in phases over the next few years.

This included stripping out the kitchen (but importantly retain the small array of cupboards that contains the original dumb waiter serving the upstairs dining space) and the design for a new bespoke kitchen and the opening up the kitchen to the adjoining utility room (former Maid’s room) to make an open kitchen/breakfast area.

The existing window to the former Maid’s room was to be replaced with matching mill-finished casement doors allowing the downstairs area to connect to the garden.

Upstairs, the opening up the main living and dining spaces – these have always been co-joined, but in order to serve what is a large house, we created a single larger living space opening onto the existing terrace. Additionally, we replaced the current window with a sliding screen as originally built (but in matching mill finished aluminium frames). We also reinstated the red and white striped awning over the living/ dining windows above the terrace.

Externally all windows were to be replaced and all render surfaces repaired and redecorated.

Client Harley Hughes
Status Completed (2014)
Contract value £150,000
GIA m2 187 m2
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