SEA FARING

Russell Jarvis gathered design inspiration from far and near to make over a run-down property, turning it into his perfect coastal home

- SARA EMSLIE

DINING AREA A mix of chair designs adds vintage charm to this spot, with its picture window affording splendid views over the sea. Mid-century chairs, Ercol. The Indian cricket chairs are reclaimed, try Nkuku for similar

Russell Jarvis and remarkable spaces, it seems, go hand in hand. For me, a home is not just a place to live but also an expression of personality and an opportunity to experience exceptional buildings,' he says. Previous homes include a quaint Victorian cottage, an apartment at a former jam factory in London, a flat in Bath's Georgian Royal Crescent and a huge loft space in an old watermill that once produced paper for the artist JMW Turner.

Wanting to return to the UK after years spent abroad, and inspired by equally exceptional places seen on his travels, Russell purchased two adjoining properties on the North Devon coast. I wanted somewhere that needed work, so I could express ideas gathered from my history of house ownership and travelling,' he says.

Boasting an impressive cliff-top location with sea views that stretch across the Bristol Channel to the Gower peninsula, Rockton, and the adjoining Rockton Mews (featured in the August 2023 issue of CH&I) proved utterly irresistible. I'm not a builder or a property developer,' says Russell, but I knew that both houses required rescuing. I was aware it was going to be a major project if I wanted to own this special corner of the coast.'