London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025

Every Day Feels Like a Vacation at One Family’s Breezy Waterfront Home in England

Every Day Feels Like a Vacation at One Family’s Breezy Waterfront Home in England

Clad in weathered larch and pale brick, a riverside residence in Suffolk County soaks up sun and views.

At least that’s what one Suffolk Coast couple thought when they spotted the perfect riverside property just down the street from their own drafty Georgian. Though the sun-drenched site and its decrepit, 1960s shack weren’t explicitly for sale, what could it hurt to poke a few inquiry letters under the door?



The husband, a swimmer and triathlete, pops down to the river every chance he gets, rinsing off in the outdoor shower afterwards.

The bold move paid off. A deal was struck. That little shack? Demolished. And soon, it was their perfect riverside property: a fresh start for the pair (a financial professional and a passionate gardener) and their four teenage daughters.

With the help of TAS Architects, something truly special began to shape up. "They were looking for somewhere amazing to come back to," says Christophe Spiers, the technical design director at TAS.



It’s not uncommon for the family’s friends to pitch tents out back and spend the night.



The highly insulated home is incredibly efficient, designed with low environmental impact in mind.

For inspiration, Spiers let the riverside site take the lead, focused on creating something that both sat within the landscape and made the most of it. The views to the south were already framed by trees; Spiers and team came to the property with compasses to map out the exact angles to capture unobscured sight lines. "I don’t want to say that the house designed itself," laughs Spiers, "but…"

The resulting 3,150-square-foot timber-frame structure sits a few acres from the riverbank, surrounded by a sea of sun-bleached grass. Clad in weathered larch and sandstone-colored custom brick, the house looks right at home here, its two angled wings reaching out and up, as if stretching after a nap in the sun.



The larch slats above the brick reference a history of agriculture buildings in the area.



The homeowners took charge with the interiors (running their selections by Spiers), and landed on polished concrete in the kitchen that features local aggregate mixed in.



An outdoor dining area is offered some privacy by a pergola, intended to one day support vines.

The western wing houses bedrooms for the parents and the eldest daughter; a central glazed throughway connects to the other wing, home to the rest of the kids’ rooms, which all open up to a shared balcony. Designed to grow with the family’s needs, the home also has a bedroom on the ground floor intended for aging in place ("It’s a house to grow old in," says Spiers), and the girls’ wing can be closed off when they’re away, so there’s no energy wasted heating an unused portion of the house.



Spiers wanted "to be honest about the structure" and exposed the timber frame and glulam beams throughout the house.



Since construction finished on the home, the family has added steps that go right down to the beach.



Light filters in through the stair treads.

The L-shaped layout isn’t just a stylistic choice: The form helps block the blustery southwest wind. Openings to external terraces-both on the ground level and off the second-story bedrooms-allow a more controlled breeze to flow through. Downstairs, two sliding glass doors from Finepoint Glass meet on the corner. When they’re open, "you get this big, cantilevered moment," says Spiers.



"If I lived here, I'd be on the patio with a beer every day," laughs architect Spiers.

Though the family lives here year-round, the breezy, beautiful, unpretentious design keeps the vibes laid-back every single day. Says Spiers, "It feels like a vacation home."



Though a series of manufacturing mishaps meant cycling through three orders of brick, the final product seems worth the wait: sandy and agated, it nods to the beach along the river. The custom, elongated shape of the brick stretches out the elevations.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
×