Lost House
Crinan Street, London N1

SOLD

Architect: Adjaye Associates

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'One the most significant domestic projects of recent times'

The now iconic Lost House is widely regarded as one the most significant domestic projects of recent times. Designed by the internationally renowned architect Sir David Adjaye, the house is a masterclass in spatial design and light, occupying a former delivery yard in the heart of coveted Kings Cross.

Belying the spectacular 4,000 sq ft expanse within, Lost House offers a modest presence on the street, its moniker led by anonymity. At the heart of the house is a huge reception room measuring approximately 60ft in length, which encompasses a kitchen, dining area and living area. Natural light is brought into the space via three large light wells, two of which culminate in courtyards, the other in a water garden. To one side of the reception room is a sunken cinema. There is also a guest bathroom and stairs up to a large bedroom, bursting with natural light and currently used as a studio and office space.

The upper level contains a guest bedroom with en-suite shower room, and the master bedroom with dressing room, wet room and steam room. Running alongside the master bedroom is a dramatic enclosed swimming pool. The house also has a large private double garage, which is accessed from York Way.

The interior has been designed with impeccable attention to detail. This is an inward-looking house that offers great privacy. The scarcity of external windows is compensated for not only by the use of light-wells, but also by the clever configuration of spaces and use of reflective surface materials, including a black resin floor in the reception room. The versatility of the space offers the opportunity for significant income through photo and film shoots, and even fashion shows, for which it has been a setting in the past.

Crinan Street is situated by Battlebridge Basin, just south of the Regents Canal and across the water from Granary Square, the University of The Arts; Central Saint Martins, and Coal Drops Yard. Since the completion of Lost House, Kings Cross has become London’s regeneration success story, welcoming the likes of Google, Louis Vuitton, Universal Music and Havas, alongside existing outposts of Caravan, Waitrose, Dishoom, and audiophile bar Spiritland. The Thomas Heatherwick-designed Coal Drops Yard brings Margaret Howell, Tom Dixon and Aesop stores to the canal, along with a fine selection of bars, restaurants and cafes.

The Regent’s canal runs through Islington into Hackney where it connects to the River Lea. There are many excellent pubs and cafes along the towpath, including stops at the Victoria Miro Gallery and Broadway Market.

Kings Cross station is a three-minute walk away, providing national connections and Hammersmith and City, Circle, Victoria, Northern, Piccadilly and Metropolitan tube lines. St Pancras International station provides Eurostar connections to Paris and Brussels.

Tenure: Leasehold with Share of Freehold
Lease: 999 Years from May 1995
Council Tax: Band G
Service Charge: approx. £10,000 per annum

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.


History

‘Lost House’ is covered extensively in a book entitled David Adjaye Houses (Thames & Hudson; ed. Peter Allison). The book describes how the building makes use of its site: “The east and west fronts of the Alaska building were at one time connected by a drive-through delivery yard with a solid platform along one edge, against which vehicles parked. For protection from the weather, the parking strip and platform were recessed into the section of the Alaska building above. In Lost House, the parking strip is occupied by two bedrooms and a sunken cinema, while the platform supports the concrete basin of a lap pool. The living space occupies the rest of the yard.”

We are then given an insight into the innovative configuration of spaces: “Belying its position at the bottom of a light well, Lost House is arranged as an expansive single-storey dwelling with a variety of internal and external views. The positions of the three parallel spaces described by the section of the delivery yard are both reinforced and broken down by the detailed organisation of the house; the walls marking the edge of each zone include a range of openings that make a series of transverse connections. To bring light into the deep section, the roof is punctuated by three courtyards and several rooflights, and the wall between the living space and the bedrooms includes a number of slit windows, which filter natural light in one direction and artificial light in the other.”

David Adjaye is one of the most renowned and critically acclaimed architects currently at work in Britain. He is perhaps best-known for his domestic commissions, having designed houses for the likes of artists Chris Ofili and Jake Chapman, photographer Juergen Teller, and actor Ewan McGregor.  In recent times his work has attracted more worlwide attention, leading to commissions to design the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver. He is also the architect behind the striking Idea Store in Whitechapel, east London.

 

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