This thoughtfully conceived three-bedroom house is located on a quiet corner of Darfield Road in Brockley. It was completed in 2020 to an exacting design by 1200 Works and is an exceptional example of contemporary architecture’s use of the modernist vernacular. The house was shortlisted for Architects’ Journal ‘Small Projects’ award and its Manser Medal ‘House of the Year’ award, both in 2021. It sits in front of a beautiful private garden and is a short walk from the bars and cafes of Brockley, as well as the train station at Crofton Park.

The Architect

The London-based 1200 Works is a groundbreaking architectural practice with a hands-on approach. Recent accolades include ‘Best Emerging Architecture Practice’ at the Build Architecture Awards 2020 and Architects’ Journal award nominations. When working on this particular project, the practice envisioned a house that celebrated the “simple purity of honest materials”.

The Tour

The house’s sympathetically designed elevations blend into the row of Victorian houses on this road, forming a contemporary reinterpretation of a traditional end-of-terrace house. The façade is constructed in London stock brick with concrete embellishments, echoing classic 19th-century details. The building’s innovative structure, with its lowered floor at ground level, results in increased internal volume, ensuring no space is wasted unlike in the plans of traditional terraced houses. With energy efficiency in mind, 1200 Works designed the house with a fibre-reinforced concrete frame and extensive airtight insulation. Actual, in-use operational analysis has demonstrated the house performs as well as Passivhaus standards of energy consumption. All rooms have underfloor heating and are thermostatically controlled.

The house has three spacious floors, linked by an impressive blackened steel staircase, which incorporates an ingeniously conceived nook at the bottom, for dogs to curl up in. On entry, beside hanging space for coats, there is also integrated bike storage. The ground floor comprises a beautiful open-plan kitchen with living and dining areas behind, as well a downstairs loo/shower room. These communal spaces are incredibly bright, thanks the large sliding door opening out on to a courtyard garden.

The kitchen, at the front of the house, is U-shaped and feels intimately connected to the wider space, ideal for convivial dining. Polished concrete worktops house a Belfast sink with brass taps by Samuel Heath, and poured granite terrazzo runs underfoot. Perhaps the most significant features of the interior design both here and upstairs are the tactile shuttered concrete walls, which manage to feel both monolithic and homely.

On the first floor are two bedrooms and a family bathroom. A cleverly angled bay window in the main bedroom draws natural light and houses a bespoke dressing table or desk space. A pocket door opens into the bathroom, which can also be accessed via the hallway. In here, minimalist ply cabinetry chimes with travertine floors and nude plaster walls. Brass hardware – also made by Samuel Heath – joins twin butler sinks set into polished concrete. A second bedroom on this floor, currently configured as an office, overlooks leafy gardens below.

The top floor is given over entirely to a room currently used as more living space. It has a pitched roof and large Velux windows with far-reaching views to the south, and there is plenty of built-in storage along one wall, as well as in the eaves. Conveniently, the plumbing runs up to this level, meaning the space could one day be used as a bedroom with en suite bathroom.

Outdoor Space 

The charming courtyard garden is accessed directly from the downstairs living room. This is a wonderfully peaceful space, bordered by walls of London stock brick with natural black limestone tiles underfoot. The courtyard functions as a natural extension of the internal spaces in the warmer months and cleverly emphasises the sense of flow inherent in the house’s design.

The Area 

Darfield Road sits on the border of Brockley and Crofton Park. It is a short walk from Hilly Fields park which has excellent views south, towards Crystal Palace. The area is spoilt for green spaces, some of which can be walked along on the locally known ‘Brockley Three Peaks’ route, linking Hilly Fields, Ladywell Fields, Blythe Hill and One Tree Hill.

The surrounding neighbourhood also has numerous independent cafes, bars and restaurants. Jones of Brockley  at the top of Darfield Road, is renowned as a local delicatessen of the highest standing, championing small producers and fine wine, and stocking Neal’s Yard cheeses. Every Saturday, the Brockley farmers’ market sets up at the foot of Tressillian Road, a short walk away, featuring seasonally sourced fresh fruit and vegetables as well as award-winning breakfasts, brunches and produce.

Beecroft Primary school is nearby and was recently rated outstanding by Ofsted.

Crofton Park Thameslink station is a three-minute walk away, connecting directly to Blackfriars, Farringdon, City Thameslink and St Pancras. Brockley Station is within a 15-minute walk and connects via London Overground and Southern Rail to east London, Highbury and Islington and London Bridge.

Please note that this property is owned by an employee of The Modern House Ltd.

Council Tax Band: D

Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. The Modern House has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.