The Ciotolli di Marmo stone flooring and the riven slate in the kitchen were both sourced from European Heritage in London by marketing design company Armstrong Associates (then in Castletown, now based at Grenaby Farm, Malew). Wall tiles in the two bathrooms and the kitchen came from The Tile Gallery in Castletown. The Gallery’s John Arnold also arranged for a tile mural of the costal view from the house to be hand-painted from a photograph the owners supplied; it backs the stove top, and is just the thing to admire whilst cooking!

This would not be a house to everybody’s taste. It has been built ‘upside down’, and some people are simply not happy with open plan living. But the couple who own it have been in the happy position of being able to design and build the home they wanted, where they wanted it and they are thrilled to bits with the result.