Coastal charm

Looking to swap the city for the coast with their young family, Skye O'Neill and Jamie Corner have created a peaceful abode in a delightful seaside town

- SKYE O'NEILL

For 10 years before they bought their house on the northeast coast of Kent, Skye O'Neill and Jamie Corner regularly escaped to Whitstable for weekends and holidays. Based in southeast London with their two young daughters, Eilidh and Esme, and dog Daffy, it was an easy drive of just over an hour. 'Having grown up in Sydney, I really missed the sea – Whitstable was the nearest bit of coastline we could get to,' explains Skye, who is a co-founder of Fieldfare magazine and a freelance photographer. 'Jamie felt the same; he grew up in St Andrews on the east coast of Scotland and missed being near the beach.'