WowHaus

A contemporary design with a knowing nod to the midcentury past. The Rock Mount modern house in Thorsway, the Wirral, Merseyside is up for sale.

It’s a beauty too. And a reason why we shouldn’t ignore contemporary architecture. Yes, there are some amazing designs from the art deco and early modernist era, as well as some stunning buildings from the middle of the 20th century and beyond. But some architects are still creating amazing architecture.

This house dates back to 2013, with the current owners working with renowned architects Shedkm to put their vision in place. The end result is quite a statement, with the house also nominated for the RIBA Mansell house of the year. The judging panel noted that ‘ with elements of “America’s west coast mid-century modern homes,” it is an “original and inspiring new composition that matches the quality of its setting in every way’.”

And that’s the appeal for me too. This is a design that takes some inspiration from the groundbreaking architecture of the mid-20th century without being a pastiche of it. This is a modern-era family home at one with its setting. But elements of the better and bolder MCM homes of the past.

You can probably spot them yourselves. The low-lying design that’s at one with (and very much a part of) the outside space, the walls of glass, the stone detailing and the bright, open living space within. I could be describing something by Richard Neutra from 60 or so years ago. But this is just over a decade old. Good ideas really don’t date.

But those features haven’t been put in place for reasons of nostalgia. It’s down to practicality. The walls of glass offer up some stunning views of the landscape around, both the greenery that surrounds the house and, from the higher level, the coast around too. And let’s be honest, everyone loves some natural light pouring into their home.

As for the design itself, a long, low-built form was developed and orientated east-west, ‘jutting out’ of the crest of the hill and reaching out to the view.

This element contains the living space positioned in the most exposed location with sleeping spaces for the children facing the garden. On the floor below, set into the hillside, ancillary spaces are laid out, with play space and a guest suite in a far corner for privacy.

Two linear blocks rotated at 90 degrees to each other divide the house into four zones – children’s rooms, pool, master suite and study, and the fully glazed living area. There are six bedrooms in total, as well as all that wonderful reception space and a home office you can only dream about.

The finish is as modern as you would expect of a house built fairly recently, but I suspect it would take some midcentury modern art and design if you want to push things further down that road.

As for the outside, you can see the sizeable amount of well-maintained green space that surrounds the house, which also has a heated swimming pool, a large terrace off the living area and an outdoor kitchen.

A long driveway too, with parking for several cars in front of the ‘good size’ garage.

Of course, something like this doesn’t come cheap. This is available with a guide price of £3,750,000.

Images and details courtesy of Savills. For more details and to make an enquiry, please visit the website.