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Wales Online
Wales Online
Lifestyle
Joanne Ridout

Grand Designs-style dream home with sweeping views across the estuary

There are amazing views to delight you at many different homes throughout Wales offering rolling rural vistas, coastal glimpses and a patchwork of urban rooftops. All have a breath-taking aspect to keep you lingering at a window and gazing out in awe.

But this house in Pembrokeshire can arguably claim to have one of the best panoramic, sweeping views that includes all three elements, plus a meandering river estuary too. This property is greedy and wants a view that has it all.

And why wouldn't you want to feast your eyes on this incredible vista every day and at every possible moment at this beautiful Grand Designs-style dream home?

READ MORE: Stunning barn conversion that will make you want to pack up and move in immediately

Dream home worthy of a Grand Designs episode (John Francis Cardigan)
Country, coast, river, rural, rooftops - something for everyone in this incredible view (John Francis Cardigan)

This architect designed, bespoke luxury home perches above the popular Pembrokeshire village of St Dogmaels and from its amazing elevated position it can command a view that stretches out over the village and the estuary, as the Teifi river winds its way slowly to the sea on the horizon.

Flanked by a patchwork of fields within the undulating countryside, the view really does have something for everyone - country, coast, village, river and sea.

From the first floor living room with its Juliet balcony, first floor bedroom and the ground floor kitchen diner, the view is a staggering distraction, perfectly framed by vast swathes of glass that ensure the connection to it is optimised.

So on a bad weather day there's still the opportunity to enjoy that remarkable vista from the inside, but on a bright and sunny day, slide those triple glass doors open in the kitchen, wander out and park yourself on the substantial, sunny terrace or the lawn below and drink in the remarkable location of this dream home.

The kitchen lounge area has direct access to the garden (John Francis Cardigan)
A sunny terrace with a view (John Francis Cardigan)
Alfresco dining with the best backdrop in the area (John Francis Cardigan)

Or you could wander down to the detached garden room currently used by an artist for painting that would also suit a writer or musician - who wouldn't get inspired to get creative by that all encompassing view?

Enter the home at the central front door and the glass atrium space is flooded with light from the glass door and roof of glass above it. The entrance setts an exciting tone of anticipation to explore the rest of the home as soon as you enter.

Glass entrance begins the tour of this bespoke home (John Francis Cardigan)
The inner snug leads to kitchen diner family room and stairs one way and bedrooms the other way (John Francis Cardigan)

To the left is the hub of the home - at least on this floor - a spacious, light and view filled kitchen diner with the most inviting of seating areas right next to the triple glass doors to the garden terrace.

The space is a sociable area that flows from the fully equipped Shaker-style contemporary kitchen, which surely has an island unit with the best view in Wales, to the seating area and then the garden beyond - from kitchen or wine fridge to alfresco dining or a squishy sofa inside in less than 10 seconds.

Kitchen island with a view (John Francis Cardigan)
Kitchen with lounge area by the sliding doors makes it a very inviting hub of the home (John Francis Cardigan)

The space then flows seamlessly into a dining zone that looks out over the garden through a large picture window, although there's plenty of fabulousness to see inside too, especially the attractive, modern version of a traditional Welsh dresser on the opposite wall.

The interior design in these spaces is comfortable with understated elegance, with soft shades, darker and contrasting accents, and welcoming tactile and natural textures to be found in every room that effortlessly visually connect the spaces within a consistent decor scheme.

Spacious kitchen, lounge, dining area is the social heart of the home (John Francis Cardigan)
The dining area includes a substantial and attractive kitchen dresser unit (John Francis Cardigan)

Climbing the stairs that are nestled in a space between the kitchen and dining area, it's not really a surprise to discover that this well-thought out home is a partial upside down house, with a separate lounge found on the first floor.

From this elevated position the view is truly breath-taking, suitably assisted by the choice of a wall of glass at the end of the space. But this is no ordinary window, it slides open to reveal a Juliet balcony that can let the sea breezes and sounds of the coast into the room to tickle your senses.

Why should just your eyes get all the benefit of the view? The balcony allows you to be immersed in it as much as possible via sound, touch and maybe even taste, and all from your sofa.

First floor lounge means amazing elevated access to the view via a wall of glass that opens to a Juliet balcony (John Francis Cardigan)
Cosy log burner and darker shades make this a more intimate space with the bonus of triple aspect too (John Francis Cardigan)

The addition of a large log burner and the stormy green sea colour choice behind it gives this room a cosy feel inside that beautifully balances out the expansive view outside.

There are views to glimpse on three of the four walls in this inviting lounge, so feeling like you are embedded in the location and the nature that surrounds you is elevated to an even higher level. Very few rooms can boast a triple aspect, but this house is stuffed full of bonus features.

There's a bedroom up on this first floor too. But should four bedrooms be one too many for a new owner, this one would make an incredible home office. Imagine the envious faces of colleagues on Zoom calls or Google hangouts when they see that view as your real-life background.

Upstairs bedroom can enjoy good views too as well as built-in wardrobes and an ensuite (John Francis Cardigan)
Family bathroom on the ground floor is very tastefully fitted out and decorated (John Francis Cardigan)

But as a bedroom it is a self-contained room, with ensuite at the back and built-in wardrobes that could make it the perfect guest bedroom, or the perfect, peaceful adult bedroom if the remaining three bedrooms on the ground floor are given to the children of the household.

Back on the ground floor, the three bedrooms on this level occupy the single-storey stone section of this characterful home called Cam Yr Afon. Through the snug area that links the two wings of the house, and past the beautifully decorated family bathroom, and the first of these bedrooms is a pretty double, with a stable door that opens out onto the garden terrace.

The bedroom on the ground floor that includes a stable door out onto the sunny terrace (John Francis Cardigan)
Bedroom next to the master is being used as a walk-in wardrobe and dressing room (John Francis Cardigan)

The next bedroom is currently being used as a walk-in wardrobe and dressing room, which makes sense as it is directly next to the master bedroom. The master bedroom is extra special because, as well as an ensuite, it can boast its own set of floor-to-ceiling bi-fold doors that also open onto the terrace.

Imagine breakfast in bed with the sun streaming in and the coastal, refreshing air wafting in to the room to gently remind you of the special location that this special home occupies.

Master bedroom has the bonus of bi-fold doors out onto the garden terrace (John Francis Cardigan)

At the end of this wing of the house is a garage that can be accessed via the stone chip driveway that sweeps around the rear of the house between the terrace and the lawn. This section of the garden is done in such a way that it is not at all obvious that this area is a drive to the garage as well as an extra place to sit and admire the view.

If the garage is not needed it could become, subject to planning permission, neighbours' consent, and availability of a conversion budget, a spectacular master bedroom, extra lounge or games room.

Keeping it single-storey but raising the ceiling right up to the roof to create a double-height space will make an immediate impact. And because it is located at the end of this wing of the house, the whole of the end wall could be glass to ensure the view is appreciated to the maximum.

Maybe add a mezzanine level for the bed area too as a way of avoiding the interruption of the roof of the house below and then the views can flood in.

Simply stunning, but how about converting the garage into a stunning room as it occupies the view end of the single-storey wing of the house? (John Francis Cardigan)

Or, you could turn up as the lucky new owner of this dreamy, dream home worthy of any Grand Design episode and just enjoy living at one of the most special homes in the area. Cam Yr Afon is for sale for offers in excess of £1m, call John Francis Cardigan on 01239 300041 to find out more, and don't miss any stunning dream homes featured on WalesOnline, join our Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter here.

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