Inside the houses toured on Grand Designs: House of the Year 2018
Inside the houses toured on Grand Designs: House of the Year 2018
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1/94 Berkshire House by Gregory Phillips Architects, Caversham, Kent
If you want a shining example of the early 21st modern house style, look no further than this beautiful detached home next to the River Thames in Caversham, Berkshire.
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2/94 Berkshire House by Gregory Phillips Architects, Caversham, Kent
"Every detail has been finely honed and every facade carefully composed", noted the judges, who praised the property's "faultless finesse" throughout.
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3/94 Berkshire House by Gregory Phillips Architects, Caversham, Kent
The south side is largely glass and timber, filling the main living spaces and bedrooms with light.
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4/94 Berkshire House by Gregory Phillips Architects, Caversham, Kent
The double-height dining hall is particularly majestic.
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5/94 Berkshire House by Gregory Phillips Architects, Caversham, Kent
The materials have been chosen to fit a muted palette of Scandinavian tones, from rough brick and pale-stained cedar through to marble and polished grey concrete.
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6/94 Berkshire House by Gregory Phillips Architects, Caversham, Kent
In short: it's a minimalist's paradise.
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7/94 No 37 by FÄMILY Architects, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Though modest in size, it's hard to miss this black timber-clad dwelling, which stands out from its brick-built community on the backstreets of the Ormeau Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
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8/94 No 37 by FÄMILY Architects, Belfast, Northern Ireland
The building is split into two parts - one housing the tall living/dining/cooking space and the other the bathroom and bedroom.
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9/94 No 37 by FÄMILY Architects, Belfast, Northern Ireland
This house may be small but it is not claustrophobic, thanks to views between the spaces and through to a garden.
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10/94 No 37 by FÄMILY Architects, Belfast, Northern Ireland
There’s a fun playfulness to this design, as you can tell from the contrasting yellow doors and windows that nod to the massive shipbuilding cranes Samson and Goliath, visible from just outside the front door.
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11/94 The Makers House by Liddicoat & Goldhill, Hackney, London
This four-bedroom new-build earned its name from the architects' commitment to hand-assembled materials and bespoke detailing. Found within a short stroll of Victoria Park Village in Hackney, east London, it sits respectfully between its mid-Victorian neighbours, echoing their overhanging roofs.
Riba
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12/94 The Makers House by Liddicoat & Goldhill, Hackney, London
It instantly wows with its lovingly-crafted interior. Spread over four storeys, the lower floors have a multi-level layout that cleverly designates different functions to the light-filled living space without breaking the flow. Exposed joists, exposed brickwork and even netting give a unique feel to the room.
Riba
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13/94 The Makers House by Liddicoat & Goldhill, Hackney, London
The petrol blue kitchen has been hand-built and three pivoting glass doors, two full-height, open onto a courtyard garden. Stairs lead down to the basement, where there is a cosy snug, larder and utility room.
Riba
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14/94 The Makers House by Liddicoat & Goldhill, Hackney, London
Upstairs, big, naturally-lit landings are designed for displaying art. The master bedroom suite at the rear has its own study and dressing room. The Rhodesian mahogany parquet flooring, reclaimed from Hove Fire Station in the Seventies, is a special highlight.
Riba
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15/94 The Makers House by Liddicoat & Goldhill, Hackney, London
A huge textured wall in the master bedroom slides to reveal a fabulous open-plan bathroom.
Riba
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16/94 Oatlands by SOUP Architects, Weybridge, Surrey
Hidden behind a 1920s suburban house in Weybridge, Surrey is an asymmetrical rear extension and sunken garden pavilion, which connects the underused garden to the house and offers the opportunity to work peacefully without feeling too separate.
Andy Matthews
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17/94 Oatlands by SOUP Architects, Weybridge, Surrey
Light grey bricks have been used on the exterior and interior walls giving the building a solid sculptural quality that avoids fussy detailing.
Andy Matthews
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18/94 Oatlands by SOUP Architects, Weybridge, Surrey
The extension houses an open kitchen/dining space with a sitting area and reading nook lit by a wedge-shaped skylight, while a new master bedroom suite has been added above.
Andy Matthews
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19/94 Oatlands by SOUP Architects, Weybridge, Surrey
The new roofs have all been planted with wild grass to tie them in with the landscape.
Andy Matthews
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20/94 Vex by Chance de Silva & Scanner, Stoke Newington, London
Experimental Vex in Stoke Newington is based on "Vexations” by French composer Erik Satie - a piano piece that repeats 840 times and can take up to 24 hours to perform.
Riba
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21/94 Vex by Chance de Silva & Scanner, Stoke Newington, London
Built from curved fluted concrete, it comprises three large, stacked drums each housing a different function. Spirals, movement and fluidity are what this building’s all about.
Riba
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22/94 Vex by Chance de Silva & Scanner, Stoke Newington, London
The shapes were made using enormous wooden moulds, or shuttering, filled with concrete to form the walls and floors. A layer of corrugated steel wrapped inside cast the rippling surface.
Riba
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23/94 Vex by Chance de Silva & Scanner, Stoke Newington, London
Beautiful oak flooring cosies up the concrete as cathedral-style stairs wind to the top, where a circular roof light acts as a sundial, moving a circle of sunlight across the maing living space and echoing the wheeling nature of the property.
Riba
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24/94 Vex by Chance de Silva & Scanner, Stoke Newington, London
The Riba judges admired how raw and decorative, Brutalist and frilly this building is both outside and in. It pushes at the boundaries of design and comfort yet gets softer and more elegant the higher you climb.
Riba
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25/94 Maison Wedge by BGA Architects Ltd, Northern Ireland
This playful house in Northern Ireland is entirely designed around the wedge.
Riba
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26/94 Maison Wedge by BGA Architects Ltd, Northern Ireland
There’s a living wedge, a sleeping wedge, window wedges and a patio wedge.
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27/94 Maison Wedge by BGA Architects Ltd, Northern Ireland
Owners Henry and Denise instructed their architects to be bold and assert the building’s presence on the landscape. Inspired by four years spent living in Switzerland, they wanted simple, clean lines and sharp looks.
Riba
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28/94 Maison Wedge by BGA Architects Ltd, Northern Ireland
The Riba judges were struck by the energy of the shapes and the clever concealing of doors and pipes.
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29/94 Maison Wedge by BGA Architects Ltd, Northern Ireland
Thoughtful design is everywhere, from the mezzanine viewing box at the top to the downstairs loo with a view. It’s wedge wonderland, basically.
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30/94 Black House by AR Design Studio, Kent
Tucked away in the Kent countryside is Black House, made of four daring cantilevered boxes jutting out at different angles.
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31/94 Black House by AR Design Studio, Kent
The kitchen, dining room, living room and bedrooms all have their own boxes.
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32/94 Black House by AR Design Studio, Kent
Built by retired engineer Norman and his wife Tina, it’s a real piece of theatre.
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33/94 Black House by AR Design Studio, Kent
Standing in the kitchen feels like floating in a great white cloud overlooking the orchard below, with mirrored splashbacks reflecting the countryside at all angles.
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34/94 Black House by AR Design Studio, Kent
The minimal dining room overlooks a formal garden...
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35/94 Black House by AR Design Studio, Kent
...and the casual cool living room leads onto the luxurious swimming pool.
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36/94 Black House by AR Design Studio, Kent
The house wraps around a courtyard in the middle that invites the sky in.
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37/94 Black House by AR Design Studio, Kent
It’s a tribute to the box, "the purest shape”, according to the architect.
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38/94 Lochside House by HaysomWardMiller Architects, Scotland
Found in rugged and remote Scotland, this off-grid crofter’s house blends so seamlessly into its surroundings you’d be hard pushed to find it with a map.
Riba
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39/94 Lochside House by HaysomWardMiller Architects, Scotland
Built from burnt Scottish larch cladding and dry stone walls, it looks like a community of finely-crafted sheds has grown up from the ground.In fact, it is one single dwelling comprising three bedrooms, a living room and an open-plan kitchen and dining space.
Riba
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40/94 Lochside House by HaysomWardMiller Architects, Scotland
Everything had to be designed to be small enough to fit on the back of a trailer and driven down the long, off-road track that leads to the site. Services were unable to reach it, so it’s powered by the sun with water pulled up through a borehole.
Riba
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41/94 Lochside House by HaysomWardMiller Architects, Scotland
Inside, it is pared-back and beautiful, dominated by white oil timber and rough textured plaster. The delightfully modest rooms are entirely livable and everything flows naturally. The changing height of the ceiling helps designate the different spaces and the view of the lake from the master bedroom is magical.
Riba
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42/94 Lochside House by HaysomWardMiller Architects, Scotland
The Riba judges loved the choice of materials and integration into the wild setting. The roofing echoes the mountains and the walls pick up the horizontal sediments of the rocks.
Riba
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43/94 Gin Distillery by Open Practice Architecture
This converted Victorian gin distillery in Whitechapel, east London, oozes history and character (though sadly not gin).
Rupert Scott, founder and director of Hackney-based Open Practice Architecture, and his wife Leo Wood, an interior designer, bought the original brick building in 2014.
Hidden away in a corner of a non-descript carpark surrounded by industrial buildings, it was mangy and rat-infested, with a corrugated roof, a concrete floor and "a side alley full of fridges”. Only the brick walls and concrete floor would stay.Riba
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44/94 Gin Distillery by Open Practice Architecture
Four years on, it is enjoying a fresh lease of life as a sunny and stylish two-storey home fit for bringing up their two young daughters Evie, five, and Frankie, two. It is a mother’s ruin no more.
Riba
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45/94 Gin Distillery by Open Practice Architecture
This inspiring couple flooded the place with light by reinstating its elegant lost Crittall windows and carving a terrace with a structural glass floor into the darkest rear corner.
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46/94 Gin Distillery by Open Practice Architecture
Inside, it is both dramatic and cosy. The interiors are finished to perfection, without being fussy or flashy. The huge kitchen-living room is spanned by a 25ft steel beam...
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47/94 Gin Distillery by Open Practice Architecture
...and privacy restrictions due to overlooking are conquered with cut-out openings that draw in light from elsewhere in the building...
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48/94 Gin Distillery by Open Practice Architecture
It is little wonder the Riba judges praised it as being "a wonderful example of exemplary contemporary architecture patched together with considered heritage reclamation and restoration”.
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49/94 Old Shed New House by Tonkin Liu, North Yorkshire
The owners of this charmingly unique North Yorkshire dwelling had been looking for a peaceful site on which to build their retirement home for several years before stumbling upon a farm shed in a wild garden at the edge of a small village.
Riba
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50/94 Old Shed New House by Tonkin Liu, North Yorkshire
They hired their architect son Greg (handy!) and asked him to pull the landscape into the building’s form, blurring the lines between outside and in.
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51/94 Old Shed New House by Tonkin Liu, North Yorkshire
Knowing his parents’ love of books, Greg built this house around a tall, mirrored library that showcases their lifetime’s collection of tomes and reflects the greenery of the garden. Slatted windows allow sunlight to dapple the space. It is so lovely the judges gasped when they saw it.
Riba
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52/94 Old Shed New House by Tonkin Liu, North Yorkshire
The facade also speaks to nature, the combination of larch cladding and galvanised steel creating a rhythmic effect that echoes the bark of the surrounding silver birch trees.
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53/94 Old Shed New House by Tonkin Liu, North Yorkshire
Described by the architects as "a journey of interconnected spaces that alternate between the grand and the intimate…part country cottage, part classical villa” it is also a strong contender for Riba’s prestigious shortlist.
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54/94 The Old Court House by Harrison Brookes Architects, West Midlands
This crumbling 400-year-old house was brought back from the verge of collapse by an authentic restoration that took five years to complete.
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55/94 The Old Court House by Harrison Brookes Architects, West Midlands
In the words of the architect the Grade II-listed house was "more ecosystem than building” when they took it on.
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56/94 The Old Court House by Harrison Brookes Architects, West Midlands
Dating from about 1510, the house had been reduced to its central brick chimney stack, a stone base and badly deteriorated oak frame, which was teetering on one side of the house and entirely gone on the other.
Riba
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57/94 The Old Court House by Harrison Brookes Architects, West Midlands
A painstaking archaeological process was undertaken to piece together evidence and salvage everything that could be reassembled safely. This had to be meticulously structured by the architect to ensure that reconstruction techniques were authentic and safe.
Riba
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58/94 The Old Court House by Harrison Brookes Architects, West Midlands
"The architect, builder and client have clearly worked with exemplary dedication and professionalism to bring a long-neglected house and piece of local history back to life and create a home of distinctive character," said Riba.
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59/94 Duncan Cottage by James Grayley Architects, Bath
This beautiful Grade II-listed home in Bath, built in 1790 has been given a striking 21st-century extension.
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60/94 Duncan Cottage by James Grayley Architects, Bath
The architect worked closely with local suppliers and contractors to deliver a beautifully-crafted addition which uses tightly jointed Bath stone ashlar for walls and floors.
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61/94 Duncan Cottage by James Grayley Architects, Bath
This has created a timeless and innovative garden room which appears to be carved from a single block.
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62/94 Duncan Cottage by James Grayley Architects, Bath
The internal half flight of stone steps within the loggia amplifies this illusion, creating a space where wall meets floor and seamlessly folds into stair.
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63/94 Duncan Cottage by James Grayley Architects, Bath
"Duncan Cottage demonstrates the value that architecture adds to even the most modest development, updating and transforming an 18th-century listed home to meet 21st-century requirements," said Riba.
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64/94 Coastal House by 6a Architects, South Devon
This early 20th-century house close to the South Devon coastal path has been transformed with elegant restraint.
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65/94 Coastal House by 6a Architects, South Devon
Inside, a winding timber stair rises through the central three storey, top lit atrium creating a series of balconies and terraces.
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66/94 Coastal House by 6a Architects, South Devon
The floor level has been dropped to connect inside and out, elongating existing windows and creating a grand scale for the more public rooms.
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67/94 Coastal House by 6a Architects, South Devon
"The retention of much of the original structure, wrapped in an external insulating ‘duvet’ and faced in reclaimed slate, has resulted in a house which feels rooted in place, rich in history, but also in contemporary detail and delight," said Riba.
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68/94 Red House by 31/44 Architects, East Dulwich
Red House in East Dulwich is one of 20 contemporary, cutting-edge properties longlisted by the Royal Institute of British Architects for House of the Year 2018. Grand Designs will be touring them all every Wednesday night at 9pm on Channel 4...
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69/94 Red House by 31/44 Architects, East Dulwich
This former garage turned 'sunburnt house' stands out for its success in playfully asserting itself as a modern building in a row of period conversions.
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70/94 Red House by 31/44 Architects, East Dulwich
It shows respect to its Victorian neighbours by authentically nodding to their design in its decorative detailing.
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71/94 Red House by 31/44 Architects, East Dulwich
Described by presenter Kevin McCloud as a 'cheeky rebel', it was built from the same red bricks used as accent bricks in the existing terrace, suggesting it belongs on the street despite its high-impact colour.
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72/94 Red House by 31/44 Architects, East Dulwich
The patterned tiled thresholds of the surrounding homes are echoed in the stunning, intricately-patterned section of facade that sits above an arched window to the side of the understated black entranceway.
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73/94 Red House by 31/44 Architects, East Dulwich
Inside, a double-height hallway leads into a split-level, three-storey home offering nearly 1,500 sq ft of living space.
Riba
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74/94 Red House by 31/44 Architects, East Dulwich
The architects from 31/44 Architects were faced with complex geometry due to a kink in the road and the angled side of the nextdoor house.
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75/94 Red House by 31/44 Architects, East Dulwich
They conquered this obstacle by designing an unconventional, sunken ground floor cleverly arranged around courtyards that introduce plenty of light and greenery into the open-plan layout.
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76/94 Red House by 31/44 Architects, East Dulwich
The decoration has been kept simple throughout to give the new owners a blank canvas to stamp their own mark onto.
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77/94 Black Stone House by 6a Architects, Hackney
You get to snoop around two other striking London designs in the first episode of Grand Designs: House of the Year, including Black Stone House in Hackney.
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78/94 Black Stone House by 6a Architects, Hackney
Commissioned by a local café owner, this magnificent, monolithic concrete block has been built on an irregular corner plot at the end of a polite row of townhouses.
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79/94 Black Stone House by 6a Architects, Hackney
Inside are three apartments, all of which have been designed to 'artfully manage privacy'.
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80/94 Black Stone House by 6a Architects, Hackney
Terraces and loggias form outside rooms and huge sliding windows draw in daylight and offer views of sky, garden and the street.
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81/94 Black Stone House by 6a Architects, Hackney
The concrete is warmed up by lime-slurried walls, plywood and ceramics.
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82/94 Dartmouth Park House by AY Architects, Dartmouth Park
Dartmouth Park House a glorious townhouse filled with Nicaraguan mahogany, complete with DJ room, glass-roofed bathroom and a palm tree in the centre.
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83/94 Dartmouth Park House by AY Architects, Dartmouth Park
It involved the redevelopment of an entire Victorian building in north London.
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84/94 Dartmouth Park House by AY Architects, Dartmouth Park
Now, a series of bright spaces are linked by a courtyard, terrace...
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85/94 Dartmouth Park House by AY Architects, Dartmouth Park
...and a statement staircase climbing three-floors through a spectacular, nine-metre high void.
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86/94 Dartmouth Park House by AY Architects, Dartmouth Park
The beautiful, exotic interiors reflect the owners' personal travels and interests. But you'd never know, because outside, the former shop front is discreetly painted grey with smoked glass hiding its theatrical contents.
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87/94 Pheasants by Sarah Griffiths + Amin Taha, Henley
Elsewhere, we're taken to see Pheasants, a glass and Corten steel, modernist riverside home in Henley.
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88/94 Pheasants by Sarah Griffiths + Amin Taha, Henley
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this avant garde home caused uproar among traditional local residents.
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89/94 Pheasants by Sarah Griffiths + Amin Taha, Henley
The owners were eventually granted planning permission, but it's taken more than a decade from inception to completion.
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90/94 Pheasants by Sarah Griffiths + Amin Taha, Henley
Inside is unexpectedly comfortable, full of finely-crafted features, light, and panoramic views.
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91/94 Ouseburn Road by Miller Partnership Architects, Newcastle
Ouseburn Road is two smart semi-detached houses in Newcastle built by neighbours working harmoniously together.
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92/94 Ouseburn Road by Miller Partnership Architects, Newcastle
Both houses were designed by the same team and built through a shared building contract to save money for the owners.
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93/94 Ouseburn Road by Miller Partnership Architects, Newcastle
They share lightwells. external spaces and back gardens. One of the owners is a furniture maker and designed and made the kitchens for both houses.
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94/94 Ouseburn Road by Miller Partnership Architects, Newcastle
Steel, local bricks and polished concrete floors reflect the industrial heritage of the area.
The UK's best new home designed by an architect will finally be revealed in tonight's final episode of Channel 4's Grand Designs: House of the Year series.
For the past month, Kevin McCloud has been joined architect Damion Burrows and design expert Michelle Ogundehin to tour the 20 houses in the running for the top prize, judged by the Royal Institute of British Architects.
During each episode of the special four-part series, Kevin has revealed which two of the featured builds has been shortlisted. This evening, he will add the seventh and final property to that list, before announcing the overall champion.
The competition is tough, making for an unmissable episode, and as no-one's been told the result in advance you'll have to tune in to find out (9pm, Channel 4)
THE FINAL EPISODE: FOUR MORE HOMES IN THE RUNNING
Firstly, we're taken to explore four houses that all use materials in intriguing ways. In leafy Berkshire, there’s a perfectly-crafted timber 'box home' with sleek concrete floors and massive six-metre windows. Over in Surrey, a Thirties house has been completely revamped with a pale brick-and-glass modernist extension that blends beautifully into its setting, and in east London, an experimental 'makers' house' with exposed joists and steel lets craftsmanship take centre stage.
1. THE MAKERS' HOUSE, EAST LONDON
This four-bedroom new-build earned its name from the architects' commitment to hand-assembled materials and bespoke detailing.
Found within a short stroll of Victoria Park Village in Hackney, east London, it sits respectfully between its mid-Victorian neighbours, echoing their overhanging roofs. It instantly wows with its impeccably-crafted interior.
Spread over four storeys, the lower floors have a multi-level layout that cleverly designates different functions to the light-filled living space without breaking the flow. Exposed joists, brickwork and even netting give a unique feel to the room.
The petrol blue kitchen has been hand-built and three pivoting glass doors, two full-height, open onto a courtyard garden. Stairs lead down to the basement, where there is a cosy snug, larder and utility room.
Upstairs, big, naturally-lit landings are designed for displaying art. The master bedroom suite at the rear has its own study and dressing room, and a huge textured wall slides to reveal an open-plan bathroom.
The Rhodesian mahogany parquet flooring, reclaimed from Hove Fire Station in the Seventies, is a special highlight of the property.
2. BERKSHIRE HOUSE, CAVERSHAM
If you want a shining example of the early 21st century modern house style, look no further than this beautiful detached home next to the River Thames in Caversham, Berkshire.
"Every detail has been finely honed and every facade carefully composed", noted the judges, who praised the property's "faultless finesse" throughout.
The south side is largely glass and timber, filling the main living spaces and bedrooms with light. The double-height dining hall is particularly majestic.
The materials have been chosen to fit a muted palette of Scandinavian tones, from rough brick and pale-stained cedar through to marble and polished grey concrete. It's a minimalist's paradise.
3. No 37, BELFAST
Though modest in size, it's hard to miss this black timber-clad dwelling, which stands out from its brick-built community on the backstreets of the Ormeau Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The building is split into two parts - one housing the tall living/dining/cooking space and the other the bathroom and bedroom.
This house may be small but it is not claustrophobic, thanks to views between the spaces and through to a garden.
There’s a fun playfulness to this design, as you can tell from the contrasting yellow doors and windows that nod to the massive shipbuilding cranes Samson and Goliath, visible from just outside the front door.
OATLANDS, SURREY
Hidden behind a Twenties suburban house in Weybridge, Surrey, is an asymmetrical rear extension and sunken garden pavilion, which connects the underused garden to the house and offers the opportunity to work peacefully without feeling too separate.
Light grey bricks have been used on the exterior and interior walls giving the building a solid sculptural quality that avoids fussy detailing.
The extension houses an open kitchen/dining space with a sitting area and reading nook lit by a wedge-shaped skylight, while a new master bedroom suite has been added above.
The new roofs have all been planted with wild grass to tie them in with the landscape.
So, which of the above do you reckon will earn the last spot on the shortlist?
THE SHORTLIST SO FAR:
Red House by 31/44 Architects, a "rebellious" end-of-terrace home in East Dulwich
Pheasants by Sarah Griffiths+ Amin Taha, a controversial glass and steel residence in Henley
Old Shed New House by Tonkin Liu, a farm shed turned contemporary home in New Yorkshire
Coastal House by 6a Architects, an elegantly modernised, 20th-century home in South Devon
VEXby Chance de Silva & Scanner, an experimental concrete house in Stoke Newington inspired by a 24-hour long piano piece
Lochside House by HaysomWardMiller Architects, an off-grid crofter's house in Scotland
Grand Designs: House of the Year airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 4
