Home tour | A Brutalist-inspired Victorian renovation in East London

Concrete isn’t the first material that springs to mind when you think of welcoming spaces, but today’s home tour is proof that it can be used to create warm, elegant and very appealing interiors.

Situated in Hackney, East London, and home to a young family, this formerly dark and cramped Victorian terrace has been redesigned inside and out by DGN Studio. The inspiration was the clients’ love of Brutalist architecture and the result is a wonderful showcase of the materials used. In fact the project has just been named the winner of the ‘Materiality & Craftsmanship’ category in New London Architecture’s ‘Don’t Move, Improve’ awards, and it’s easy to see why.

Downstairs, DGN Studio replaced the previous warren of small, disconnected rooms with an airy broken-plan layout, extending over the side return to form a bigger kitchen. To overcome the low ceiling height and lack of natural light at the rear of the house, the floor was lowered by sinking a concrete tray into the ground. From this rise three concrete columns which support a lightweight-looking timber frame with glazed and panelled sections.

The kitchen is now a large multi-functional space for cooking, dining and entertaining. Long, low concrete benches seem to grow from the floor, acting as seating, shelving and table space as needed. Concrete has also been used for the worktops, and it’s offset perfectly by oak furniture, cabinets painted in Farrow & Ball’s smokey-blue ‘Railings’ and terracotta-coloured stoneware accessories.

To ensure the space flows both physically and visually, parallel stepped openings link the kitchen with the hallway and living room, providing long views right through the house. The living room itself is more classic in style, with a marble fireplace and sash windows giving nods to the original Victorian architecture. The dark grey sofa, Carl Hansen & Søn ‘Cuba’ chair, painted woodwork and tan leather pouffe nicely echo the colours of the kitchen, while timber Dinesen flooring adds texture and warmth.

The first-floor layout remains largely unchanged, but DGN Studio removed a disused chimney breast and slightly widened the bathroom. They also moved the bathroom window and installed a skylight above the tub, increasing light and privacy for both this house and the neighbouring property. I particularly love the way the upstairs rooms are decorated in a darker palette, with moody grey and black creating the sense of a cocooning retreat and differentiating this floor from the more sociable spaces beneath.

All in all, it’s a beautiful renovation that reinterprets and softens Brutalist design to suit a 21st-century domestic setting. The whole place is serene and light-filled, with pared-back decor and practical materials that are conducive to simple, relaxed living. If you assumed concrete was heavy and oppressive, perhaps it’s time to think again…

See the other winners of New London Architecture’s ‘Don’t Move, Improve’ awards here.

Photography by Nick Dearden for DGN Studio, courtesy of New London Architecture