Hoj House

Hoj House is an extension and refurbishment of a townhouse in Stoke Newington, London. Located on a quiet residential street, the house is split over 4 levels, making it feel high (Hoj in Danish) to its owners.

The brief was to create a Scandinavian-inspired, minimal feeling ‘dining room in the garden’, rework the lower ground floor layout and provide a light-touch refurbishment to the upper floors.

The design of the extension and refurbishment was developed around a detailed client brief, as well as site and Hackney Council’s imposed planning constraints.

A key design move was to construct views through to the garden and a visible descent into the extension from the entrance door at upper ground floor level.

The extension was designed to feel as though it is a part of the garden, with a wildflower roof, bioplanter and permeable terrace sub-base included to slow surface water runoff and satisfy SUDS requirements for the site.

The roof was pitched up and away from the boundary in order to maximise head height below the exposed Douglas Fir structure, whilst two frameless roof lights punch holes in it to draw light deeper into the building footprint.

The extension is a highly insulated timber framed construction. Ivory-toned masonry facing blocks create a minimal backdrop upon which to contrast the natural pink-hued timber and wildflower roof against.

Polished concrete provides a continuous floor finish from in to out, whilst the landscaped steps, bioplanter and concrete bench integrate gardening activities directly into the architectural form.

Internally, the large Red Grandis windows and pivot doors compliment a palette of off-white walls, Douglas Fir goalposts lining new structural openings and a two-toned kitchen with island unit, topped in a concrete effect worktop to match the extension floor. The downstairs bedroom and bathroom have textured plaster finishes to continue the warm minimalist feel.

On upper floors, the light-touch approach saw the existing floor boards refurbished throughout and the existing stair and balustrade stripped back and colour blocked in a soft pink paint finish to tie the vertical circulation of the building in with the new pink-hued timber elements of the extension, soft pastel shades on other floors and furniture.

The family bathroom has been completely replaced with a minimal yet monolithic-feeling clay wall finish and warm stone floor, offering a spacious bathroom with shower, freestanding bathtub, his and hers washbasins and integrated storage.

On the top floor, a new opening was created in the spine wall of the property, combing the two rooms to make a generous living space at the top of Hoj House.