Surface Design Awards – Complete

• HOUSING - INTERIOR 
  Buildings such as houses, flats and apartments that are used for sheltering people. These could be either part of the private or public sector and could be individual dwellings or multi-dwelling developments. Social rented, affordable rented and intermediate housing, provided to specified eligible households whose needs are not met by the market are included.

An Edwardian house in the Muswell Hill Conservation Area has been transformed into a bold and colourful home that draws on Arts and Crafts aesthetics, as well as the value that the movement placed on craft and materiality.

Full of thoughtful details and surprises, it delivers on the client’s desire for a house for entertaining and a busy family life, with big social spaces, maximalist decoration and generous storage.

The crafted interiors play with different styles, materials and periods to create a bold but harmonious scheme which pulls the house together while creating clear distinctions between spaces. Historic and contemporary patterns complement the rich palette of blues, greens, pinks and yellows.

Materials across the rooms were selected for tactility, warmth and ability to age gracefully – wood, ceramic, lime plaster, volcanic stone and terracotta.

The house was previously owned by artist and teacher Maurice de Sausmarez (1915 –1969) - his students included the artist Bridget Riley and inventor James Dyson - and his wife, a colourist in her own right, who remained in the house until 2018 when it was bought by the client.

The project is inspired by the building’s architectural and artistic history – drawing on the Arts and Crafts movement, particularly William Morris’s Red House. The client worked closely with the architects to choose the wallpapers, textiles, colours and patterns used throughout, while the daughter of the family designed the new plaster crest for the front exterior wall.

A new rear extension with oak construction and terracotta cladding creates a large kitchen dining room. The height and form of the extension complement the geometry of the original house, and it has been splayed to retain an existing window – ensuring that new meets old gently.

The architects used the house’s heritage as a jumping off point to create original contemporary furniture and fittings which sit happily among antique pieces. Just as machine-dominated production was eschewed in favour of craftsmanship and individuality during the Arts and Crafts movement, Emil Eve commissioned pieces from small UK based businesses wherever possible for the project – with a particular focus on female makers.

Inside the new space, a long right-angled window seat faces a full wall of built-in storage with shelves, cupboards and cubbies in oak with bright blue paint – inspired by the original owners’ traditional built-in dresser it has been designed specifically to store and display the client’s selection of homewares. Tall windows and a large roof light bring in natural light throughout the day.

Further work on the ground floor includes new custom joinery, stained glass and interiors in the double length living room and hallway, as well as a new WC.

On the first floor a new bathroom and laundry room have been created and joinery commissioned for the bedroom and study, along with full interior design.

On the second floor a previously unused loft has been converted into a flexible creative space which can adapt as the family grows. Big enough to give guests their own space for long stays, it includes a bathroom and built in storage, as well as being equipped as a projection room.

The mezzanine, inspired by the settle in William Morris’s Red House, gives access to a secret window at the very top of the house with views out across Alexandra Palace.

Completed March 2022. Total contract cost: £420,000 ex VAT

Oak has been used both internally and for the construction of the extension. A durable native timber which retains its warm tone over time, oak was often used by the Arts and Crafts movement.

Custom joinery includes the loft’s solid ash mezzanine – unclad to highlight its skillfully crafted structure. The Foresso sustainable terrazzo floor features a pattern of scattered timber flecks echoing the wallpaper glimpsed through its bannisters.

Stained glass was created by Annahita Hessami’s Cut Glass Studio – a contemporary use of traditional techniques, it features reused hand-blown glass.

Curtains and upholstery are by the mother and daughter team at Ashton & Clark, using vintage and natural fabrics.

Wallpaper and fabrics are from Molly Mahon, Ottoline, CommonRoom, Svenskt Tenn, William Morris and C.F.A. Voysey - historic and contemporary patterns complementing the rich palette of blues, greens, pinks and yellows, with a shared theme of flora and fauna subtly uniting them. Hand-painted Botanical Tiles by Maude Smith clad the walls of the utility room.

The kitchen features volcanic lava stone worktops by Pyrolave Architecture and blue Fenix door fronts. Fenix is hardwearing and tactile - unlike formica it can also be repaired if scratched. Oak edging increases the units’ durability.

Yellow zellige tiles from London Encaustic in the kitchen and bathroom have a natural variation and scatter light across their surface. Handmade terracotta tiles feature on both the kitchen floor and the exterior cladding – a warm material which evokes the Arts and Crafts movement.

Sustainable materials that promote a healthy interior environment have been chosen across the project.

Breathable St Astier Eco Mortar R50 has high vapour exchange qualities - vapour diffusion Resistance µ = 0.13. It is produced with lower energy than cementitious mixes and re-absorbs CO2 in curing.

Foresso’s timber terrazzo is made from waste materials sourced within the UK with an average travel distance of just 43 miles, using on-site generated solar power. At the end of its life, the product can be returned to the manufacturer to be broken down and reused.

The Fenix used for the kitchen cabinets is a durable product that is also carbon neutral.

Pavatex wood fibre insulation was used to insulate the loft. Through the use of Pavatex woodfibre insulation materials, energy requirements are lowered, emissions of CO2 are reduced and carbon is bound by the structural use of wood. The boards are free from harmful substances and, thanks to their vapour permeability, enable healthy and pleasant rooms as well as secure constructions. At the end of their lifetime, wood fibre insulating materials can be composted or thermally utilised in other applications.

The Pavatex production facility is among the most efficient and environmentally friendly in the industry. Pavatex attaches maximum importance to energy efficiency and sustainability, both in the selection of the raw materials and in the manufacture and transport of the woodfibre insulation boards.

With traditional craft and building approaches increasingly under threat, the architects had to find tradespeople with the right skills to work with materials like lime plaster and to create specialist joinery.