METAMORPHIC ARTIST’S RESIDENCE
Project: Metamorphic Artist’s Residence
What it is: A uniquely configured end of terrace house on a charming street in East London.
The family: A creative couple with a passion for art and a growing little boy. The wife is herself an artist and curator and was keen to support emerging artists and independent makers. With this in mind we worked closely with the broader design team to commission one-of-a-kind pieces for the interior and exterior of their home.
Background: The original Victorian house that stood at this location was destroyed during the Blitz with a new house built to mimic the look of its surviving 19th century neighbours in the 70s. Not quite done with its changes, the house underwent a significant remodelling in the noughties by a well known London architect who put his minimalist stamp on the house.
Muses & motivations: To transform the formerly minimalist space into a vibrant family home inspired by the owners’ love of surrealism and the avant-garde, we sought to find and create imaginative new details inside and out. A courtyard garden at the back fuses Eastern Zen influences with sculptural surrealist forms; the garden’s new extension, built in steel and copper, pulls inspiration from diverse influences, including Aldo Rossi, the rebellious Paper Architects of Soviet Russia and the simple structural forms of Japanese origami.
It’s all in the details: The entrance to the house is crowned with a bespoke-cast bronze ‘ouroboros’ knocker. The symbol, a serpent eating its tail, originates from Ancient Egypt where it represented the cycle of life, death, rebirth and renewal. Dense with meaning across Eastern and Western cultures past and present, it is both a universal symbol and a deeply personal one to the homeowners as they begin their new life as a family in their new home.
