SIMPLY BREATHTAKING

A contemporary extension has opened up a pair of historic cottages to an exhilarating coastal vista

- ALEXANDRA PRATT

Living area The wood burner is the perfect counterpoint to wild winter evenings. Wood burner, Contura. Sofa, BoConcept. Rug, Etsy. Coffee table, Snowdrops Copenhagen

Living area This large space is cleverly zoned, making it ideal for entertaining. Cenova sofa in Olive velvet, BoConcept. Dining pendant, Amara. Rug, Etsy

AT HOME WITH

Owner Ines Parker, a lawyer who lives in her Cornish retreat part-time due to work demands, and Eric, the spaniel.

House A five-bedroom period cottage, with a modern wood-clad extension. The original building was once a pair of mineworker's cottages; the extension has amazing views of the coast.

Home can be many things; a place, a feeling, a memory. For Ines Parker, the Cornish village of St Agnes is all three. Ines was born and grew up in the area, and although she now travels a great deal for her work, this corner of Cornwall will always be home.

'Having grown up on the north coast, I love the ruggedness, the rawness, the wildness of nature in all weathers,' says Ines. 'Work can be hectic but being out in the garden with that view over the cliffs gives me a great sense of tranquillity! Ines was looking for a property in the area when some friends told her about a dilapidated former pair of old stone cottages high up on the cliff, facing out to sea. Once lived in by workers at the nearby Wheal Friendly tin mine, the cottages had been empty for two years.

'They were in a pretty sorry state,' says Ines. Initially, she thought only to repair and restore the 19th-century cottages, which had limited sea views from the first floor. But, when the land was cleared, it became a more ambitious project. With mining waste removed, Ines saw space behind the cottages to extend and gain views by adding living rooms further up the cliff.