Spacious Beach House Sencillo by cmDesign Atelier in Lagos, Nigeria

Project: Sencillo Beach House
Architects: cmDesign Atelier
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Area: 9687 sq ft
Year: 2019
Photography: Medina Dugger

Spacious Beach House Sencillo by cmDesign Atelier

The spacious beach house Sencillo is located in Ilashe, Lagos, Nigeria. Designed by cmDesign Atelier, it features a minimalist exterior with an internal courtyard containing a beautiful pool. It resembles the Coral Pavilion project by the same studio.

cmDesign Atelier completed construction of a 3-bedroom beach house in Ilashe, Lagos, Nigeria. Lagos is known as the most densely populated city in Africa with serious traffic management issues. Lagos is less known for its tranquil beaches, which have become attractive locations for private beach houses over the past twenty years. Access to this area is only possible by water, making the beaches on the western peninsula exclusive with limited urban development, preserving their natural atmosphere.

The aesthetic of the house is minimalist with an emphasis on neutrality to fully reflect and highlight its beach surroundings. To soften the simpler nature of the architecture, we designed a series of 4mm steel screens in pink gold color based on traditional Yoruba Adire patterns to create a gentle contrast, while functionally reducing glare and serving as privacy screens.

Our architectural goal was to create a series of spaces that could serve various groups and more communal areas for parties. The 21-meter pool plays a key role, beautifully reflecting the color of the sky. Most building materials were sourced locally, especially cedar for door locks and pivot curtains in the hot water pool area. White concrete was used for the beach terrace to avoid monotony of tiles, and polished concrete for all interior spaces. Frameless glass was used on railings behind steel screens with laser cutting to emphasize the elegance of the screens.

-cmDesign Atelier