Rough Luxe

The house that Sarah and Andy built may be made of concrete and reclaimed wood, but its also full of inspiring ideas, plush materials and back-to-nature textures.

- Jenny Tucker

Deep in Britain’s Cornish countryside, encased in nature, lies an unexpected home. In these parts – Poldark territory – you might expect an archetypal chocolate-box thatch or sprawling red-brick farmhouse. So this modern build, with its concrete casing, gaping terrace and impressive stargazing windows, is a bit of an anomaly.

The owner, Sarah Stanley, who escapes to this bolthole when in need of peace, agrees it’s not a typical home. “But it does have so many great things,” she says. “The light is incredible. In the summer, it pours in from every angle and gives a gorgeous dappled effect as it filters through the trees. And I love the fact that you can open the doors and feel you are alongside nature. I’m a keen gardener and it’s so sheltered here, plants just flourish. I’ve put together a wellbeing garden — rosemary and thyme borders, and then a mix of agapanthus, lavender and euphorbia. It’s gorgeous!”