If you’re a wannabe selkie, who’s looking for the ultimate seaside retreat, you might want to consider a new property that’s splashed onto the market.
The architect-designed 177.7 square metre four-bedroom house, Sea Glass, which is located along East Forth Street in Cellardyke, might blend in with the other couthy cottages from street level. However, from the back, the 10-year-old building opens out into three levels of lighthouse-inspired living. It also boasts a huge terraced garden and garage.
We asked the current owner, Yvonne McKie, to tell us more about downsizing and moving on from her East Neuk paradise.
Why was it time to move?
I'm hoping to move to Edinburgh’s Portobello, because I just can't be away from the sea. It has that community feel and activities and things, but it obviously is at the pricier end, so I'm kind of keeping an eye and seeing what’s there. We’ve been here in the East Neuk for 20 years and in this house for ten, so it will be a wrench. I won’t have these views and the coastal walks and all of that, but it’ll be exciting as well, to be nearer things like, you know, the city and shops, and all the things you can do.
How did the property come into being?
We were living just around the corner in a little fishing cottage, and this plot came up for sale. It had been used as land for growing potatoes for 70 years. There was originally a house at the bottom, but that was taken down in the Thirties I think, in a kind of clearance operation. So it was just the land, but it was clear that other people had built at the top previously, so it made sense that we would build there for the views.
What was the architect’s brief?
We obviously wanted to make the most of the elevated sea views, and that lighthouse tower look obviously fits so well with that, but it was also very much to fit in with the local architectural style of the East Neuk, which which we like so much, and also it’s a conservation area, so that was important. So we included features like the turret and also the long stair window. We didn’t want it to look quaint and old, we wanted it to look modern, but to be very much in keeping with the area and the surrounding architecture. That was the aim. And I think it’s worked out. We also wanted for it to have a cosy, welcoming feel - absolutely not a glass box, but something that looked right.
Which is your favourite room?
Definitely the main bedroom, which is in the look-out at the top. When you get up to that height and look across, you see the whole horizon almost on that curve, because you see so far. You can see the Isle of May out to the north, and on a clear night you can see the lights of the Forth Road bridge. It’s such an expanse. One of the amazing things is seeing the dolphins pass by on a regular basis. They move along quite close to the house. And there are also lines of gannets that skim the waves while going out to do their fishing. They come from Bass Rock, from April till September. I’ve had a telescope, which I’ve used for the night skies, and distant ships as well.
Tell us about the garden
It did take a lot of planning because it was on a steep slope, so we made it into really usable levels of terracing. The middle level has really large raised beds, so that’s been really good for growing veg, because it’s south-facing and against the retaining wall, with a couple of apple trees that are laden with fruit by the end of the summer. We took inspiration from what neighbouring gardens had, what was doing well locally and asking at the local garden centre. We’ve got some plants that are good for wind resistance and salty air, like the cordyline palms. They’re at the bottom of the garden in some of the photos, and euonymus shrubs, which also do very well. They’re evergreen, hardy, and good for the seaside. Buddleia, fuchsia, honeysuckle, lavender and roses all do well, too.
Is it true you were nearly on Grand Designs?
That’s a blast from the past. We had initial conversations and they had interest, but the timings just didn’t work out in their schedule.
Tell us about the blue and white colour scheme
I have done all the interior myself - painted every wall, every ceiling, every bit of woodwork, and have taken time to do that. I’ve done each room as the mood takes me. The last one, my favourite, is the really dark navy blue in the middle sitting area, because there’s so much light coming in through the big windows, and the dark blue just seems to set it off and makes it into a cosy space.
How do you feel about opening the house to viewings?
It’s taken me a few months to get my head in gear with the move. But I’m really proud of the house, and it’s nice to see it looking at its best and to show it off.
Sea Glass, East Forth Street, Cellardyke, is on sale through Thorntons Property for offers over £625,000, see www.thorntons-property.co.uk
