When lighting designer Chris Millard and interior design Flo Millard relocated from London to the village of Rock in Cornwall, they hoped and dreamed for exactly this sort of project. A one-time dinghy club and restaurant perched on the waterfront in tiny, steep Polruan, on Cornwall’s south coast, the wooden structure had long ago been converted into living quarters, but was in need of a top-to-bottom rethink. “The house had been reinvented several times over the years,” Flo tells us, “and the result of these reiterations meant it was a patchwork of rooms with a rather confusing layout.”
Millard & Flo, as the couple call their firm, stepped in and, while preserving the footprint, gave the structure a historically sensitive makeover, opening up and orienting the living spaces to the river, relocating the kitchen to an underused part of the ground floor, and fully outfitting the place: “we provided all furniture, finishes, joinery, and lighting.” The results are a bright and breezy modern-classic nod to boathouse style executed with ease and restraint. And an unmistakeable English accent. For those of us still recovering from winter, these rooms are a tonic.
Photography by David Curran courtesy of Millard & Flo.
![thanks to glazing added in a past renovation, the back of the wooden structure 17](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-house-remodel-by-millard-and-flo-1-733x488.jpg)
![the main entry, with a porthole window, opens to a spacious sitting area. (elec 18](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-kitchen-by-millard-and-flo-14-733x489.jpg)
The designers introduced whitewashed paneling, ceilings included, throughout: “we tied the entire scheme together with the use of several tons of timber cladding,” says Flo, “horizontal on the ground floor and classic vertical tongue-and-groove upstairs.”
![the kitchen is an entirely bespoke design fabricated by millard & flo&# 19](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-kitchen-by-millard-and-flo-10-733x489.jpg)
The white paint used throughout is Little Greene’s Slaked Lime, which, according to the company is “made with a combination of minerals to give a warm and soft appearance.”
![a georgian prep table with new porcelain knobs has been put into commission in 20](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-kitchen-by-millard-and-flo-11-733x490.jpg)
![the designers introduced interiors windows throughout, including this glazed pa 21](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-kitchen-by-millard-and-flo-12-733x490.jpg)
The kitchen is open to a large dining area overlooking the river.
![the paneling continues in the pantry. note the owners\2\17; fortnum & 22](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-kitchen-by-millard-and-flo-13-733x1098.jpg)
![a long antique bench, found in an undisclosed favorite cornwall antiques store, 23](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-house-remodel-by-millard-and-flo-15-733x1098.jpg)
![the living area is adjacent to the kitchen and overlooks the water. the floorin 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-house-remodel-by-millard-and-flo-23-733x1098.jpg)
![the armchairs and sofa in the lounge are conran designs slipcovered in a heavy 25](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-house-remodel-by-millard-and-flo-16a-733x488.jpg)
![a gray sofa and tiger poster from fine little day in the waterside end of the m 26](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-house-remodel-by-millard-and-flo-9-733x491.jpg)
![fine little day\2\17;s linen bakerman wall hanging by daniel g 27](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-house-remodel-by-millard-and-flo-8-733x489.jpg)
![original btc porcelain hector wall lights in the paneled bedroom hall. note the 28](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-house-bedroom-by-millard-and-flo-20-733x1098.jpg)
![twin cast iron beds in cornflower blue in the guest room. there are five bedroo 29](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-house-bedroom-by-millard-and-flo-21-733x489.jpg)
![in the family bath: tongue and groove paneling with a bead, an old fashioned to 30](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-house-powder-room-by-millard-and-flo-17-733x1098.jpg)
![a carrara marble topped double sink in the master bath. under a pair of origina 31](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-house-bathroom-by-millard-and-flo-19a-733x1098.jpg)
![a claw footed tub and wall hung heated towel rack. 32](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-house-bathroom-by-millard-and-flo-19b-733x1092.jpg)
![a master bedroom with a view. the balcony has bifold double doors. the cast iro 33](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-house-bedroom-by-millard-and-flo-18-733x492.jpg)
![at one end of the room, an antique bench and bird print by breon o\ 34](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-house-remodel-by-millard-and-flo-4-733x1098.jpg)
Inspired to panel your own house? See our Remodeling 101: The Ultimate Paneling Guide with Jersey Ice Cream Co.
![a glimpse into the \2\20;garden room\2\2\1; in the back on the ho 35](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/waterside-cornwall-house-remodel-by-millard-and-flo-exterior-2-733x489.jpg)
Browse our Nautical Archive for more maritime design inspiration.
Thinking of venturing to Cornwall? Take a look at:
- A Seaside Rental in Cornwall
- A Modern Family Home in Cornwall that Sleeps 16
- Number 56 Shoppe on the Cornish Coast
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