The Ceramic House

After ceramicist Kay Aplin bought an end-of-terrace house in a quiet street in Brighton she gradually transformed it into a living artwork with unique holiday accommodation.

- Alex Fisher

‘It started with the bathroom,’ Kay Aplin, who studied Public Art at Chelsea Art College, explains, as she shows me the blue and green tiles on the walls around her bath. ‘I converted the loft in 2010 and needed to decorate the new space. I had lots of tiles left over from a project in Wales, and thought I’d make use of them. After that, my vision for the house evolved. As a public artist, my work is spread around the country, often displayed in remote places. I wanted to show my work somewhere accessible to more people.’

Kay moved to Brighton in 2008. ‘I’d travelled around the world working, but I wanted to put some roots down. Brighton was ideal due to the proximity to London and Gatwick airport, but really it was the sea that drew me. Although I’d grown up in Glasgow and had never lived by the sea, I’d holidayed on the coast as a child. I’d visited Arran, Skye, Mull and the Outer Hebrides, where the beaches are beautiful. We swam in the sea whatever the weather; it was our holiday ritual. That gave me a connection to the ocean I never lost.’