A Coastal White Painter's Home with Reclaimed Features in Cornwall

Where do I start describing this beautiful English home? The crisp white spaces, the large windows, the perfect painter’s atelier, or the views from Padstow and the sea? There isn’t an element about this Cornwall home that I do not like.

The house and art gallery are located in central Padtow, a city in the southern county of Cornwall. The 2,500-square-foot house is divided into an art gallery, a private residence, and an atelier space on the top floor. The current owner, an artist, has carefully restored and extended the building in the years that she has lived here.

The crisp white spaces with high-pitched ceilings and large windows are decorated in a coastal style using light colors and reclaimed elements such as Gothic and Georgian doors, pendant lights made from ship foghorns, and antique door furniture.

white dining space with bench and pitched ceiling nordroom

We’re starting the tour in the private residence, which can be accessed through the gallery space or the back garden. The back of the house has been extended. The cedar-clad extension, crafted by Carpenter Oak, was designed by the owner to resemble an old village hall or school building. It has views over the Camel Estuary and houses an open-plan kitchen, dining and living space, and a large study.

open plan white living space with fireplace

To create a calm space, the owner used a limited palette of materials, white-painted walls, and an engineered-ash floor.

The open-plan living space is centered around a double-sided wood-burning stove, converted by Hotpod from a spun steel trawler net bobbin.

The white-painted kitchen features closed and glass-fronted cabinets, which are paired with a stainless steel worktop.

The second living room, with its pitched ceiling, exposed beams, and large window is used as a study and music room.

living room with pitched ceiling and large window

The hallway features a monochromatic tiled floor from Mandarin Stone.

The top floor of the house is used as the owner’s paint atelier.

The front door on Duke Street welcomes you into the oldest part of the building which is now used as an art gallery.

On the first floor is another exhibition space.

Like the house, the garden is built into a hill and, therefore, comprises terraced areas with spaces for a table and chairs; the higher up you go, the better the views. A sheltered bench is positioned at the top of the garden, the perfect spot to watch boats on the estuary.