Cornwall-based property developer, Stephens + Stephens, in collaboration with multi-award-winning interior design agency Absolute, has just launched The Nest; a collection of 15 unique and boutique, two, three and four bedroomed homes in the heart of the UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site in Charlestown, Cornwall.
Conceived in 1792 as a seaport for the copper, clay and pilchard fishing industries, today’s Charlestown features arresting Tall Ships, candy-coloured fishermen’s cottages and time-worn cobblestones. It’s this enigmatic aesthetic that has attracted countless film and TV location scouts, meaning you’re just as likely to glimpse movie stars taking a break, as you are to see local fisherman reeling in their daily catch. Charlestown was most recently continually in the national spotlight as the port in Poldark, as well as forming the backdrop for ‘Truro’ and ‘Falmouth’ in the drama, such is its versatility.
‘The Nest’ provides a subtle nod to the ‘Crow’s Nests’ atop the renowned Charlestown tall ships, whilst delivering a new contemporary Cornish design-driven lifestyle opportunity. Designed by renowned, multi-award-winning Charlestown-based architects, Alan Leather Associates, The Nest is completely in tune with their vision of creating architecture that has meaning, depth, and texture.
In turn, Stephens + Stephens has taken a design-driven approach to ensure a cutting-edge style for today, concurrently paying appropriate homage to the original, industrial aesthetic of the area, rather than a ‘pastiche’ of the original properties. The beautiful development retains many of the historical features of its site, including the key landmark chimney formation which will remain a striking centrepiece for all residents. The chimney will be within a public space, rather than privately owned and can be enjoyed at closer proximity by residents of The Nest and by visitors to the area.
In addition, to further preserve the heritage, where possible, known and new features and artefacts discovered during the construction works will be revealed and displayed publicly, giving residents and visitors the opportunity to experience the vital heritage that has been re-found and carefully collected during the build process.
Just as displayed at The Nest, the historical and the contemporary perfectly synthesise in Charlestown and wherever you are in this beautiful harbour port, it packs a pretty punch. Textural and layered, yet quiet and calming, its industrial features are comfortable bedfellows with its dramatic, natural setting.
The Nest will be accessed by a private road and is surrounded by a beautiful, traditional stone wall on three sides, with large evergreen and deciduous trees forming a dense, natural screen between the neighbouring properties. The Nest’s houses feature an architectural scheme utilising elemental materials including Cornish stone, fittingly bound with traditional pointing techniques. These historical flourishes are interspersed with huge sections of contemporary glass windows and glazed links, all merging with dark steels, providing sleek, seamless finishes. The homes are topped with living grass roofs and outside, ‘rubble’ stone walkways lead the way into calming, sustainable gardens.
A natural flow of life, light, energy and the elements is evident throughout all of the houses, with powder-coated aluminium windows and patio doors set-into the profiled metal-clad sheeting, timber and rubble exterior material mix. A natural, green roof extends the length of these houses, bringing new life to the previously harshly industrial space, all tying in with the ecological, wildflower planting around The Nest’s perimeter. Each home has two ‘car ports’ in the extended garaging space across from the properties, and in keeping with the Stephens + Stephens Cornish life + style philosophy, an additional shared bike shed will be available, taking up to six cycles for residents.
In terms of interiors, multi-award winners Absolute are the Stephens + Stephens partners of choice, crafting bespoke interior design for each and every development and each and every home. The team has been inspired by the industrial heritage of the surrounding area, rather than directed by it. As with the architecture, a clean, contemporary interiors style is mixed with industrial hardware and surfaces, with on-trend muted colour palettes reflecting the landscape and elements.
The turnkey interiors design service from Absolute works hand-in-hand with the Stephens + Stephens Home concierge service, meaning if you choose, you can quite literally walk right into your new home at The Nest with every single detail and appliance already in place.
Creative Director of Stephens + Stephens and Absolute, Helen Stephens says, “We are delighted to bring these amazing coastal properties to the market. Charlestown as a coastal lifestyle destination is simply wonderful, with its unrivalled and inspiring mix of heritage, industrial past and modern-day Cornish lifestyle benefits. It’s a beautiful place, with traditional tall ships, a famous historic harbour and beautiful sheltered beach, but it also boasts some fabulous restaurants, wine-bars, delis and coffee shops. It’s simply the perfect destination for 21st Century boutique harbour living.”
