This Boxy Brick Home in London Has a Layout That Flows Like Water

October 06, 2022

This Boxy Brick Home in London Has a Layout That Flows Like Water

A route snakes from the front gate at the street to the bedroom patio at the lower level for one surprisingly continuous plan.

Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners.

Project Details:

Location: Ealing, United Kingdom

Architect: Fletcher Crane Architects

General Contractor: Project 1 Design + Build

Structural Engineer: MDA Structures

Cabinetry Design: Creative Edge Furniture

Metalwork: AF Metalwork Fabrication

From the Architect: "In Ealing, this two-bedroom home is stitched assertively into the street scenography. The former garage site bounded by rear gardens created a series of constraints yet consequently generated an articulated series of volumes when read with the whole street. Using primarily three exterior materials—gray brick, black timber, and tubular metalwork—the palette is simple where the rough facing brick and flush lime mortar joints contrast the sharper and darker detailing. The simplicity and rawness of finishing are carried through to the internal spaces were brick walls, ash joinery, terrazzo tiles, and delicate metal balustrades contribute to a comprehensive vision.

"Upon entering the home along the secluded western boundary, the entrance lobby leads to a rich split-level arrangement of rooms in a vertical spine of circulation. Living spaces flow from the front to the rear of the site with the kitchen and living room on the uppermost stories making the most of natural daylight. Two bedrooms and associated bathrooms are submerged within the semi-sunken floors. A sunken planted courtyard is accessed via stepped brick planters and a paddle stair constructed of black cobble setts."