The house fills the whole of a tiny derelict site at the end of a Victorian terrace in Islington and attempts to heal a scar in the urban fabric.  By sinking the ground floor 1m below street level and carefully considering rights to light of its close neighbours we achieved permission for a highly individual 100 sq m house.  Built on a very low budget the house demonstrates how the qualities of simple materials can be raised into something more special through proportion and subtle detailing.

Method

Internally the brick walls, steelwork and ceiling joists are left exposed to express the construction, their rough textures softened and united by a layer of paint.  The window frames are Douglas fir, chosen for its orange colour and strong grain, in contrast with the finer grained birch plywood joinery inside.  Each room has a distinct character determined by its form and the positioning of its windows.  The sequence of spaces is linked by an open staircase, a finely crafted element lined with cupboards and shelves that provides a place for storage and display.

The timber windows have deep reveals, built-in shutters and blinds allowing for privacy or engagement with life outside.  From the second storey office a huge corner window frames the Victorian houses opposite and provides a long view to the Green.  The large windows and small front garden are intended as contributions to the life of the street in the belief that offering something positive for passers-by might connect the house with its community.

Highlights

It is a small house, so every bit of it has to work hard – GB

“A hotbed of experimentation in space making, detailing and thrift” – RIBA Journal

“You feel like you’re inside a great piece of furniture” – RIBA Journal

“It challenges traditional notions of domestic spatial hierarchy with a laissez-faire joy in incident and obsessive attention to detail” – RIBA Journal

“For a small house it feels big, with vast amounts of cleverly hidden storage” – Daily Telegraph