Coastguard’s Cottage keeps watch over the East Sussex beach

Interior architect and Spaces veteran Marta Nowicka became enchanted with the creative, beachy vibe of East Sussex, while visiting in the late noughties. So when she began looking for a second home for herself and her son, she landed on Jury’s Gap, near Camber Sands – specifically a dilapidated coastguard’s cottage with five bedrooms focused on the sea.

After some initial light restoration, Marta began renovating in earnest last year, building an extension to the rustic, timber-panelled house and adding a new light well and sea-view triple-glazed windows. She specified a mix of concrete for the kitchen floor to complement the beach and installed an enamel wood-burning stove. Original basins and windows were reused where possible.

Elsewhere, a monastery dining table, sheepskin chairs and walls in tongue-and-groove add texture.

Coastguard’s Cottage is available for short stays on Marta’s rental platform DOMstay.