Hampstead, the leafy garden suburb of London, is not a typical setting for a modern house that fuses strong architecture with key design elements of wood, stone and glass.  Architects Pennington Phillips were approached by forward thinking property developers Kearsley to create a house that maximises the use of light and space whilst blending sympathetically with the surrounding period properties.  Kearsley were keen to create a tranquil sanctuary just minutes from the centre of London

Developing the design, the architects wanted to realise the full potential of natural light and so the project developed with the large-scale use of glass.  Controlling temperature and glare, the loggia were screened with cedar timber louvers which, together with adding privacy to the bedrooms, give a glorious golden tone to the daylight entering through the windows

Within bedroom areas, the lighting contrasts against the hardness of the glazing.  Viabizzuno’s M1 Medio fittings wash the ceiling with soft diffused light whilst M1 Micro downlights graze wardrobe and cupboard façades.  M4 buried uplights wash the wall behind the bathtubs and the use of dimming systems throughout the spaces allow the colour temperature of the light to be warmed to almost simulate candlelight and create an intimacy often lost in modern spaces

The long narrow nature of the kitchen is lit with natural daylight through the clever use of a 5.5m glass slot in the wall which floods the work surface with light but maintains privacy. Meanwhile, glass walls at each end of the space create a sensation of being outside.  Viabizzuno’s recessed linear C1 profiles and M1 Micro 90 downlights cross the ceiling playfully, contrasting against the strong architectural lines of the interior

Pennington Phillips created a double height reception space that is enveloped in natural daylight through the use of two glazed walls.  A sculptural black shuttered concrete fireplace soars from floor to ceiling, its dominance being softened by a cantilevered shelf.  A mezzanine floats effortlessly above the dining table offering a place for quiet contemplation

The geometrically arranged twin downlights provide lighting to both architecture and art.  Low level lighting from floor lights and the soft diffused lighting of the wall mounted lights combined with the soft flickering of the flames in the fireplace create a warm atmosphere in what could have been a stark interior