Dune House
- Location
- Suffolk
- Size
- Sleeps 9
Dune House was designed by Jarmund/Vigsnæs Architects for Living Architecture. It is located close to the picturesque village of Thorpeness in Suffolk, on an idyllic spot on the very edge of the sea, nestled among rolling dunes. Step from the living room directly onto the beach and enjoy extraordinary panoramic views over the sea from the terraces, bedrooms and bathrooms on the upper floor.
Accommodation
Dune House
- On the beach, just metres from the sea.
- 360-degree windows for all-round views of sea and landscape.
- Large open-plan living area and kitchen, with full height retractable sliding windows.
- Freshly caught local fish and shellfish to buy (when in season).
- Aldeburgh's revered local pubs and restaurants a short walk away.
- Village shop nearby.
- For up to nine guests of all ages; dog friendly.
- Five bedrooms, each with en-suite bathroom and in-room bath.
The much-loved Dune House, continues to draw in new guests to the Suffolk coast, as well as commanding an almost cult following from our regulars. The design of the house suits all ages, families and friends, and creates an informal and relaxing environment to be in.
Guests enter the ground floor via an inclined concrete walkway semi-submerged into the dunes. Large windows on all sides, many of which can be slid open to create an indoor/outdoor space, give access to the sea just metres away. Guests can take an early morning swim, jog along the beach or just have their morning coffee watching the sun reflect off the sea. This glorious setting is also perfect for bringing your architecture/beach-loving dog along.
With kitchen, dining and sitting room all being within one extensive open plan space, guests can enjoy the freedom the house brings, and when the nights get cooler they can gather around the open fire, read, chat and relax. To the rear of the kitchen a small hidden room can be used either as a single guest bedroom, or for lazy afternoon naps.
Stairs lead up to a first-floor library space, with access to a small semi enclosed external terrace, giving further views out to sea. Off the library space are four bedrooms, each with their own bathroom and shower. The timber-lined bedrooms all have bath tubs, so guests can bathe whilst taking in glimpses of the sea or the meadows which surround the house at the rear.
Dune House provides the ultimate experience in seaside living; from watching the sun rise over the sea from the comfort of your bed, to strolling along the shore to buy freshly caught fish for dinner.
Location
About Your Stay
During Your Stay
Floor Plan
What Guests Say
Such an amazing effort has been made to provide a property like this for rent so that people can experience good modern architecture. We appreciated the design enormously.
It is an extremely beautiful house and a delight to stay in. The placement of the windows and mirrors upstairs and the resultant sightlines were extraordinary.
The house was most certainly the best rental property I have stayed in. The provision of 5 bedrooms offered flexibility for our family. The size of the living space was excellent.
It is an amazing house. A very clever design and an inspiring space.
We all just loved staying at The Dune House. Excellent location & well designed house.
It was out of this world. Thank you Alain de Botton, thank you Living Architecture. For what it is worth, you are making the world a wee bit a better place.
We really enjoyed the space, so much so that I am ashamed to admit we spent more time indoors than we usually do. In mitigation, standing on the polished concrete floor was like being on a beach with the tide out and the views were so perfect that I think we have an excuse.
We really did have the most wonderful time at the Dune House. The location is spectacular, the house is stunning, the beds and pillows are really comfortable and even the weather was superb. The light and the outlook are both fantastic.
Everything at the house and the house itself was fantastic and we had a brilliant weekend enjoying it.
The experience is to live an architects dream, which is delivered in full to an excellent level.
About The Architecture
Following an invited architectural competition, JVA had the clearest of concepts - a house within the sand dunes, transparent base and 'floating' roof structure above.
The board marked concrete, and polished concrete floor anchor the structure within the surrounding dune-scape, whilst the complex geometry of the roof was inspired by the variety of pitched roofs of other houses along the shore and in the village of Thorpeness.
Slim columns around the perimeter, along with the central concrete core, support a 'floating' timber roof structure above. The shape rises and falls to create a series of non-linear shaped rooms for sleeping and bathing in. Here guests can feel more private, as opposed to the more open feel of the living space below. Ash lined ceilings to this area complete this sense of a timber box floating above the heads of the guests within.
The large leather modular sofa system and bedroom furniture were specifically designed for this house by the architect. Other furniture and soft furnishings have been carefully selected to provide a welcoming and restful environment.
JVA are renowned in Norway for their beautifully crafted buildings; Dune House whilst referencing the surrounding coastal architecture, adds a very Nordic sensibility to this special environment.