Black on Blue - Edge House Kitchen
“We find beauty not in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness.”
– Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows
Perched above the Irish Sea, Edge House rests on the western edge of Wales where the land ends and ocean begins. Designed in close collaboration with our client so everything fits, just right. The project has been recognised for both its architecture and interiors, with awards from the Royal Society of Architects and the Structural Timber Awards. But beyond recognition, this home is shaped by trust, the ocean that surrounds it, and a desire to feel what is real.
Drawing the Horizon Closer
The upper kitchen and living level feels like a vessel adrift, floating just above the cliff edge. Here, black begins as a response not a trend. The design is a deliberate rejection of the bleached white interiors so common in coastal homes, and an embrace of something, deeper. Framed by panoramic glazing, the experience of the space shifts. The black kitchen draws the ocean inward. Together with our client, and through various samples and testing, we noticed how interior white walls pushed the sea into the distance, flattening its presence. Darkness, paradoxically, brought it closer. As a collective, the decision though somewhat brave was easy.
A Kitchen That Grounds
This thinking continues in the kitchen. Push latch, linoleum-faced doors retreat into shadow. A monolithic concrete island anchors the space, echoing the solidity of the cliff below. This is the new hearth of home, not nostalgic, but elemental.
Luxurious Restraint
Not long after completion, an oxalis appeared on the worktop. Its purple leaves open and close with the shifting light. Sometimes, white flowers bloom, briefly, brightly. In this space, colour and life feel more vivid for being held in restraint. On reflection Edge House reminded us: architecture doesn’t need to speak loudly. Sometimes, luxury is silence. And beauty lives in what’s withheld.
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