Tongs House

Set atop East Sussex’s chalk cliffs, Tongs House is a 1920s thatched Arts & Crafts residence with sweeping coastal views and National Trust meadows beyond. Once a seaside retreat, the home bears the marks of generations of inhabitants – each chapter adding depth to the narrative. Rather than overwrite this history, the restoration by Studio Eivind sought to reveal and refine it.

Layers of heavy carpet, patterned paper, and textured ceilings were removed, uncovering the original structure beneath. In their place, a restrained palette of smooth plaster, soft matt whites, and glossed accents brings lightness and clarity to the interiors. Discreet recessed lighting illuminates rooms where furniture, art and collected objects infuse each space with personality and soul.

The garden, too, was reimagined for contemporary living. A new outdoor kitchen and timber deck extend the living spaces outward – framing the horizon and inviting slow summers by the sea. This was not a reinvention, but a gentle evolution: where heritage meets the present, and the house begins its next chapter with quiet confidence.