Holier than Thou: A Devon Chapel Conversion as a Family Home By Tuckey Design Studio

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The Old Chapel looked more like a new conference center when Tuckey Design Studio was called in to remedy things. Located on the South Devon coast in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the stone church dates from the first half of the 20th century and had been converted into living quarters in the 197os and further worked on in the 1990s. The Tuckey team’s assessment of the interventions: “the majority held no historic or architectural value.”

Specialists in sensitive, artful updates of old buildings, the London architecture firm made it their mission to reinstate “the original character of the chapel,” a sense of awe included. There’s now a soaring nave that serves as the main living space, Gothic windows, and a misty coastal palette borrowed from a J.M.W. Turner seascape.

The remodel was also designed to serve as living quarters for owners Tara and Jeremy Bowles, who bought the property as a vacation place for their family, only to decide to make it their full-time home. Join us for a tour of their exalted dwelling (and scroll to the end to see the floor plans).

Photography by James Brittain, courtesy of Tuckey Design Studio.

an old stone wall separates the brick and stucco chapel from the main road. 17 — Above: An old stone wall separates the brick and stucco chapel from the main road.

the exterior looks much as it did a century ago. 18 — Above: The exterior looks much as it did a century ago.

tuckey design studio fitted the entrance hall/boot room with painted wood cabin 19 — Above: Tuckey Design Studio fitted the entrance hall/boot room with painted wood cabinets, oak hooks, and a floor of handmade terracotta tiles. For similar oak benches, see Another Country.

above: the main room is now unmistakably a former place of worship. &#8\2\2 20 — Above: The main room is now unmistakably a former place of worship. “We echoed the timber palette typical of rural chapels, implementing wooden shutters, a plywood staircase inserted into a stone arch, and exposed slatted rafters,” explains lead architect Elena Aleksandrov. The bespoke inglenook in the center serves as a dividing wall between the living room and the dining area/kitchen, a pew-style bench, and cabinet that holds, among other things, the TV and music system. The 1827 Turner painting that inspired the custom paint colors throughout is *Three Seascapes,* a marine sketch at the Tate.

the gothic windows have painted wood bi fold shutters with oak trim. the wide f 21 — Above: The Gothic windows have painted wood bi-fold shutters with oak trim. The wide floorboards are original, newly sanded and restored. The glazed ceramic Mag Square Coffee Table is by David Schofield for The Conran Shop—read about the design in Remodelista Reconnaissance: A Poetic, All-Purpose Little Table.

Overhead, the painted trusses and reclaimed timber boards were, notes Aleksandrov, “installed flush with exposed existing joists—with new insulation added behind.”