Seaside living has possibly never been more literal than here, perched on the edge of Camber’s celebrated sandy shoreline. Its contemporary profile rises between sea and dune, clad in a timber that echoes the wooden ships that would have once sailed into Rye Harbour, just along the coast. When facing the waves, there’s something distinctly deck-like about the house’s rear terrace.

The interiors have been carved out with plenty of ply panels that bring the flaxen shades outside in. Used as a successful holiday let for several years, there’s a sumptuousness to the decor – think bathtubs with a view – that would make it a sublime bolthole, or the day-to-day beach-side residence of your dreams.

A slice of California cool is brought to the East Sussex coast by this easygoing mid-century house. Built in 1969, it has been artfully reimagined by ODE Interiors, a vintage furniture supplier in St Leonards’ town centre that specialises in 20th-century pieces. The entire ground floor has been given over to a fittingly laid-back, open-plan living space complete with original wood panelling and an exquisitely crafted open-tread staircase.

Just as the interiors have been immaculately considered, so too have the outdoor spaces. Exotic plants establish the desert modernism inflections on arrival, while a stepped wooden terrace in the 100 ft-long rear garden provides plenty of places to perch. And what’s more, when the desire for sea and salty air calls, Hastings Beach is a little over a 10-minute drive away.

Moving westwards, Hanover Terrace represents a different sort of East Sussex history. It makes extensive use of flint, a material associated with the area’s vernacular architecture, particularly in the walls that curve around its stepped rear garden. Though tucked away in a peaceful pocket in the north of the city, the house is exceptionally placed to make the most of all that Brighton has to offer.

Inside makes use of a palette that takes inspiration from the stony shades that make up Brighton Beach, a little over a 20-minute walk away: honey-hued woods are placed next to strokes of white paint and dark-toned cabinetry.

Three storeys tall and with an eye-watering footprint of over 4,700 sq ft, this beachside home cuts a distinctive shape in the aptly named Shoreham-by-Sea. A series of rear balconies and a terrace are arranged in a stepped formation, each getting closer to the water. Swapping sand for nature reserve, the land between the ocean and the house is awash with wildflowers that erupt in colour come May. Broad stretches of beautiful beach are mere moments along the coast.

Care has been taken to anchor the house’s internal plan in its context. Wide, glazed doors fill rooms with scenic panoramas while drawing in an ethereal, day-long light from its south-facing position. Among the most compelling parts of the home (and it’s a crowded field) is a spiral, open-tread staircase that twists through the core of the house, emulating the undulating white-tipped waves outside.

You’ve got the chair, now why not buy the house? This is the only residential house wholly designed in Britain by Bauhaus-trained Marcel Breuer, making Sea Lane House a particularly special iteration of modernism-on-sea. Breuer designed the house with FRS Yorke, the architect whose book The Modern House (1934) served as the inspiration behind our name. Suffice to say, Sea Lane House holds a particular place in our hearts. (We even went there once on a Field Work trip.) 

And what’s not to love? The extended profile reaches out towards the coastline, while ribbon windows along its length scatter light throughout the plan. Steps reach up to a balcony, which has a distinctly liner-like feel, completed by the black and white chequerboard tiles underfoot. In need of a stroke of TLC, Sea Lane House is a truly singular opportunity to own a paradigmatic modern house on the East Sussex coast.

As its name suggests, the final house on our list is a return to the coast – specifically the unspoilt run of beaches that make up Camber Sands. Although it sits minutes from the shore, there are some excellent prospects for whiling away an afternoon within the house’s perimeter, including a rear deck well-placed for sun lounging and sundowner sipping. The garden – planted with mature palms that feel more West Coast than south-east England – is also home to a timber-clad hot tub.

There is an inside-out feel to the home that lends it particularly well to seaside dwelling; broad glazing faces the surrounding landscape, while the walls have a subtly sand-like feel about them. For those more tempted by the real thing, there’s an outdoor shower in the garden thoughtfully positioned for hosing down after a day well-spent between the dunes.