T
The Sunday Times April 3, 2022 11doing their own thing now. There’s a
different dynamic... That thing of fun
and laughter around the pool, with
children of that age, that’s a certain
time; you can’t recreate it. It feels like
[another family] should be doing that
here now.”
Broch stepped down from
management of Everyman Cinemas in
2008, although he is still a shareholder.
He and Lipscomb recently expanded
their lifestyle brand when they
opened Bliss Hotel, a coastal resort in
Southport. And Lipscomb’s creative
juices are already flowing at the
prospect of building their next home,
which sounds far more humble than
Bliss Blakeney. “It’s already in my
head. It’s about living within nature.
It’s not practical. People will say it’s
not a home but it’ll be my kind of
home. The bedrooms will be like pods.
Your lounge will be very small, more
outside than inside. And the bathroom
will be more of a spa. You’ll have a
locker, not a cupboard. And the
showers will be communal. It will
be a very different way of life.”
Outdoor living rooms and
communal showers — if Broch and
Lipscomb are doing it, it could be the
next big thing.Bliss Blakeney is on the market for
£6 million via Savills.comT
work, including the separate working
hub, which has a view of the sea. Bliss
Blakeney was designed for working
from home long before the pandemic
and it has come into its own in the past
two years. “It’s the ultimate WFH,”
Broch says. “I say that not in a joyous
way; I am fundamentally pissed off
with the way the world has changed.
But if you were going to be holed up
anywhere, this would be it. It worked
fantastically. We are in a privileged
position in a world where there is
incredible suffering.”
So it’s a house for our times: WFH,
a holiday let for income, and energy
efficient. The cross-laminated timber
is 450mm thick — a superb form of
insulation. The house is heated by
wood pellets that fuel a biomass
boiler, and a mechanical ventilation
and heat recovery system pumps
in fresh air and extracts stale air.
“Your body feels healthy in this
environment,” Lipscomb says.
“You never feel too hot or too cold.
It’s kind of weird and lovely.”
So why are they leaving this blissful
existence? Turns out a 10,000 sq ft
house is not as much fun when you are
empty-nesters. Their daughters, Myla
and Edith, are now 21 and 18
respectively. “The energy in this house
was fantastic when the girls were
growing up,” Broch says. “They’reClockwise from
main: the pool
in the courtyard;
one of the
bedrooms; the
home cinema;
the front door;
Lisa Lipscomb
and Daniel Broch
with their
daughter Edith
and two dogs;
one of the four
balconies; the
Mondrian-style
feature wallWe wanted a bit more
excitement than what
you’d find in a home, to
create what you’d
expect from a hotelLipscomb
CHRIS TAYLOR; DOUBLE EXPOSURE PHOTOGRAPHIC; MARK BOURDILLON; JODY STEWART