Seaforth House.
Modern Village Home, East Suffolk
Project Summary
Location: Suffolk
Type: Replacement Dwelling
Size: 250sqm
Seaforth House replaces a dilapidated 1920s house with a new family home that feels both private and rooted in Orford’s village character. Positioned to make the most of its prominent corner plot, the home creates sheltered terraces and a sunny south-facing courtyard . Inside, rooms are arranged around the courtyard to balance togetherness with quieter places to retreat to.
The mature boundary hedgerows offer privacy while allowing glimpses of Seaforth House’s brick gable and chimney to the street, a familiar feature of nearby properties.
The result is a simple, contemporary brick home that responds to the village’s pattern of screened gardens and red-brick buildings, while giving the clients a perfectly tailored home that works effortlessly for their everyday life.
“We really appreciated how House Form listened and asked questions about how we wanted to live, to create a design which is not only perfectly suited to our day-to-day lives, but works brilliantly with the challenges of the tricky corner site conditions too.”
Mike, Seaforth House
Project Description
Set on a prominent corner at the edge of Orford’s Conservation Area, the brief for Seaforth House began with a simple ambition. The homeowners wanted a warm, spacious family home that felt private and sheltered, yet still contributed positively to this important approach into the village. The existing 1920s house was beyond viable repair, its structure hidden beneath decades of ivy growth. The project became an opportunity to create a new home that felt rooted in its setting from day one.
From the outset, the site’s mature boundary hedgerows shaped the design. These hedgerows are a defining feature of Orford’s character, revealing glimpses of rooflines, chimneys and entrances as you move through the village. Retaining this quality became central to the scheme. The house is positioned so that hedgerows screen the private garden spaces while allowing the upper floor, brick gable, and chimney to play its part in the wider streetscape, echoing the local pattern of red-brick homes and established gardens .
The key challenge was how to manage the site’s visibility on both street fronts while giving the family a sense of privacy.
The solution was a carefully balanced composition. A simple two-storey brick volume addresses Front Street with a clear gable, while single-storey wings sit behind the hedges on Ferry Road, creating protected outdoor terraces.
A south-facing courtyard garden that became a natural sun-trap. Moving the house slightly forward on the plot also unlocked more generous garden areas to the rear.
Inside, the layout is arranged around the courtyard, so the family can come together easily or find quiet spaces throughout the day. There are long views to the garden from the main rooms, and the mix of shared and more secluded areas supports the way the clients told us they wanted to live: sociable when family and friends gather, but peaceful when they need it.
The result is a contemporary home that feels grounded in its context without mimicking the past. Subtle brick patterns reference Orford’s varied masonry as seen throughout the village, and the chimney is expressed as a modest sculptural element rather than a statement piece . Even as a contemporary building its form, material and relationship with its mature landscape mean it sits naturally within the rhythm of neighbouring properties.
Most importantly, Seaforth House gives the family space that works for them every day. It screens the spaces that need privacy, opens up the areas that deserve light and views, and creates a calm sequence of inside-outside rooms that make the most of the site’s orientation. It is a home designed not only to look at, but to live in.
“It’s been great seeing the design come to life in 3D. This really helped us to understand the proposals and make comments, which House Form were very attentive to.”
Mike, Seaforth House
