1930s Eugen Kaufmann modern house in Angmering-on-Sea, West Sussex
Yet another returning WowHaus for sale. This striking 1930s Eugen Kaufmann modern house in Angmering-on-Sea, West Sussex.
That’s not particularly unusual because WowHaus has been going for some years now. Some lucky people find a ‘forever’ home, and others choose to move on. Or, in some cases, move out of necessity.
This one was featured on the site when it was up for sale back in 2013, and to be honest, it was looking a little tired back then. At least, it was internally.
But it had two big selling points. The architecture has survived in line with the original 1936 design. And it also retained some of its original features.
Eugen Kaufmann was a German architect who worked alongside Ersnt May on the pioneering Neues Frankfurt housing project in the late 1920s before moving to London in 1933 to set up a private practice. Few houses survive, but this is one of a row of four houses in Angmering-on-Sea, and judging by past research, the one here is perhaps the one that’s mostly intact.
It’s an unusual design, perhaps because it mixes a German approach to modernism with the desire to create a coastal house for the British coast. Less ‘harsh’ than many modern houses of the day, but still very much a modernist design. Its uniqueness is also why it still catches the eye in the 21st century.
Taking on a house like this is always an undertaking. You want to update it for 21st-century living, but you also want to maintain all that’s good about the original design. The approach taken here seems to be the right one. Keep those original details in place, then go for an understated finish throughout. This is a modern house, but one that’s still in touch with the 1930s design.
It’s also a house in a rather lovely spot, located in a ‘peaceful street dotted with detached houses of varying architectural styles’, punctuated by ‘large specimen trees and a wonderful selection of planting’. And that’s before you get to the sea, with the house around 400 yards from East Preston Beach.
A private driveway (with space for two cars) leads to the property, with a garage just beyond and set within. The frontage is quite understated and eye-catching because of that, not least with the blue garage and front doors, along with the L-shaped glazing.
The rear of the house is, in contrast, more heavily glazed with that wonderful balcony and staircase overlooking the gardens. A house of two halves.
Once inside, you’ll find a ground floor with an open-plan living and dining area to the rear, benefitting from the wall of glazing at that end of the house, which also opens out onto the garden, blurring the lines between inside and outside space. Love the wood floors and the simple white finish too. Perfect for this design.
An original hatch from here opens to the kitchen, which, unusually, is at the front of the ground floor. Also on this floor is access to a shed that houses the utilities, plus a WC and coat cupboard.
Stairs with a ‘gently curved, original bannister’ take you upstairs, with the landing ‘illuminated by sheets of clerestory glazing’ and that large L-shaped window I mentioned earlier.
Ascend it, and you get to the three bedrooms and a large family bathroom.
The south-facing main bedroom has doors that open directly to the terrace, plus a full-height wall of built-in wardrobes for storage and original pine floorboards underfoot. One of the other two bedrooms also has direct access to the terrace.
As for the outdoors, a south-facing and well-maintained garden is accessed via the living room, with a lawned area, a raised patio, and a plethora of plants.
That just about covers it. If you fancy this modern house in Angmering-on-Sea, it is up for £765,000.
Images and details courtesy of The Modern House. For more details and to make an enquiry, please visit the website.
