This immaculate apartment is situated on a coveted residential street just off Chatsworth Road. It has been beautifully reimagined courtesy of a Japanese-inspired design by architects Studio 304 and was the overall winner of New London Architecture’s Don’t Move Improve Award in 2017. Light and materiality are at the core of the renovation, as is interaction with the outside spaces; a private south-facing garden and a bamboo courtyard arranged around a joyous “furo” sunken bath with glazed surround.

Studio 304’s design celebrates the existing Victorian proportions, of high ceilings and dramatic sash glazing, through simple but effective restoration in the first instances. The front-facing living room, where the apartment is entered, is presented as a blank canvas of soaring white walls, original pine flooring and the limited ornament of a cast-iron fireplace. Focus here is diverted to shuttered bay windows and the external foliage they frame.

The same period-sympathetic attention is given to the bedroom, with bespoke built-in wardrobes of English Elm flanking the central fireplace on either side. It is only at this point, through a further shuttered sash window looking south to the side return, that a tantalising sample of the architects’ true intervention is first noted in the form of a glazed bathing area.

The bath and shower room is entered a little further along the corridor to the rear and was extended to allow for the incorporation of a “furo”, a Japanese ritual bath intended for relaxation and warming. Glass walls and roof enclose the space setting it amidst the mature bamboo and Japanese gravel side garden. Larch slats provide privacy overhead and on the eastern side. Its walls are micro-cement, as are those in the shower and WC spaces, both positioned across from the bath, with brass fixtures and larch treads underfoot.

The intent to invite light is further revealed at the rear within the extended kitchen and dining area, where glazed bi-folds by Schüco open onto the private south-facing garden. Concrete floors, with underfloor heating, continue the Japanese aesthetic and extend outside, and within the brilliant copper-clad kitchen space larch panels, preserved using the Japanese charring technique of Shou Sugi Ban, conceal appliances and work as shelving. Appliances are by Bosch with the exception of the in-line hobs and extractor which are by Smeg.

From the kitchen there are steps down to a basement with good ceiling height. It has been painted white, laid with cork flooring, is plumbed for a washing machine and has heating, lighting and space for bike storage. The apartment has separate nest controlled heating zones and nest smoke alarms,  and is wired for a projector in the kitchen. There are also integrated speakers throughout, including in the basement.

The garden is designed as a low-maintenance wildflower meadow with Siberian-larch slatted fencing and raised growing planters. Garden furniture was custom made by David Ross.

Dunlace Road is two minutes on foot from Chatsworth Road, which runs north from Homerton to the green fields of Clapton and Leyton Marshes. Chatsworth Road offers a lively gauntlet of independent shops, cafes and restaurants such as Pivaz, Venerdi, Jim’s Cafe and specialist food suppliers L’epicerie and Organico. There is an excellent Sunday market and a number of good pubs in the area such as The Elderfield, Adam & Eve and The Spread Eagle, London’s first vegan pub. Renowned wine shop and bar, P. Franco is a short walk away and there are several excellent venues on Lower Clapton Road such as Lucky & Joy, My Neighbours the Dumplings, Yard Sale Pizza, Casey’s and Born Drippy.

Tenure: Share of Freehold
Lease Length: approx. 995 years

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.