An Abundance of Color in a Unique and Playful London House
Just off Hackney Road in East London stands a house that immediately grabs your attention. The pale blue facade stands out against the brick and black buildings surrounding this interesting and playful home, located on a plot once home to a disused metalworker’s shed.
When you look closely, the pale blue clapboard facade features the imprint of a house, a playful and tongue-in-cheek element created by the house’s architect Sean Griffiths, formerly of FAT Architecture, and now owner of his own practice, Modern Architect.
And inside, the house is just as playful, colorful, and unique as the exterior suggests. Let’s take a look inside.
The street-facing double gates open onto a decked terrace framed by lush tetrapanax and evergreen planting. Wide, blue bi-folding doors open directly into the kitchen and dining space.
There is also a smaller entry into a hall area next to the kitchen, but these glass doors create a fabulous indoor/outdoor living atmosphere.
The interior is playful, colorful, and interesting, with split-level floors and multiple staircases leading to different parts of the home.
The kitchen and dining space is a stunning room with a hardwood parquet floor (laid in a herringbone pattern), creating a warm base to the room.
The kitchen cabinets are by Uncommon Projects. They are ply-lipped and finished in rich burgundy Formica. Integrated appliances are neatly tucked away, turning this kitchen into a statement piece instead of just a functional cooking space.
A wide, blue-painted doorway leads you into the hall, where more kitchen appliances are fitted into a wall of cabinets topped with mirrors to reflect light. I love how they used the thick doorway as a bookcase.
On the other side of the hall, a small living room is designed with a built-in bench, built-in bookcases, and the same warm hardwood parquet floor as the kitchen.
The room features a staircase leading to the first floor with charming star-shaped cutouts.
The ground floor includes a bathroom. All bathrooms in the house are designed using light blue tiles, matching the house’s striking facade.
More playful cutouts in the paneling, this time it’s hearts!
The house has multiple staircases, this one is decorated with warm, ochre-yellow carpet that also returns in the master bedroom.
The first floor features two bedrooms linked by a dressing room and a Jack-and-Jill bathroom. The rooms on this floor feel softer, starting with the carpet on the stairs, continuing with the soft pink details, and ending with the cork flooring.
The bathroom is decorated with the same pale-blue color tiles; this time, the metro tiles are laid vertically, accentuating the height.
The second bedroom on this floor has a playful loft bed. The room has inner windows lined up perfectly with the outside windows. In the space between there is one of the staircases and a storage area.
The second floor is defined by a grid of windows that draws in plenty of natural light.
A large bedroom is housed on this floor, featuring an abundance of color, yet it doesn’t feel overwhelming.
A couple of years ago, architect Sean Griffiths revisited the house and redesigned its top floor.
The top floor is now a light-filled sanctuary wrapped in green steel-framed glazing that creates an almost greenhouse-like atmosphere.
The space opens onto a private rooftop terrace, offering amazing views of the neighboring rooftops and toward the city.
The top part of the facade features house shapes that remind me of Amsterdam canal houses.
The house is listed for sale at Aucoot.