Murchison Road, Leyton, London, E10

Blending a beautiful Scandi-style aesthetic with tactile natural materials such as oak and exposed brick, this light-filled period house is just moments from the thriving Francis Road and wide-open green spaces. Full of well-thought-out contemporary and sustainable design details, it has a lovely flow and features a spacious dining kitchen, three good-sized bedrooms, and a leafy private garden.

Over the past few years, the current owners have carefully reimagined and renovated the property, tweaking the layout to make the most of natural light, replacing the kitchen and bathroom, undertaking a full rewire while adding ultra-slim steel plate switches and sockets, and decorating with eco-friendly non-toxic matt-finish paints.

New slim-profile obsidian black aluminium windows and new internal timber doors were also fitted. At the same time, the heating system was replaced with a new boiler, underfloor heating, and high-quality floor-standing column radiators.

Shielded by a hedge-topped white-painted brick wall, the house greets you with a London stock brick frontage and white-framed windows with a striking oversized white-painted lintel. Follow a path laid with red Fired Earth quarry tiles that leads through a cast-iron gate and past a cobble-blocked front garden with raised sleeper-edged planters to an arched porch. Here, you’ll find your four-panelled, part-glazed black front door with transom window and charming brass fox knocker.

The calming and bright hallway sets the tone for the rest of the house. It features a fantastic limewashed exposed brick feature wall, raw metal two-column floor-standing radiator, pendant light, and beautiful pale oak wide-plank wood flooring, which continues into the dual-aspect living room on your left.

Lit by windows to the front and rear, the wall between the reception and dining room has been removed to create an open-plan feel and introduce additional sources of natural light to the space. The 145-year-old rafters which span the length of both rooms and original floorboards above have been lovingly exposed and restored to create a characterful, richly toned effect overhead.

To the front, the original red brickwork of the chimney breast has been exposed and repointed, adding texture and earthy tones to the white walls, while the exposed brick of the rear fireplace has been limewashed, and both hearths laid with antique-style inky blue and white tiles. Other details include bespoke shelving to the alcoves, a pair of white column-style radiators, and a trio of black pendants over the dining area.

As you walk through to the kitchen, you’ll pass a handy coat closet and storage area under the stairs to your right and a WC to your left containing a reeded-style glass window, underfloor heating, a close-coupled loo and a wall-mounted basin with a chrome mixer tap.

The kitchen layout has been carefully designed to maximise storage and practicality, leading the eye towards a fabulous picture window and French doors framing the garden beyond. Further light is drawn into the room via a lovely side-facing window with oak sill to match the bespoke oak open shelves lining the walls, while white ‘Eye’ ceiling spotlights by Edit Lighting and a black pendant over the dining table zone the different spaces at night.

Olive green base units with plenty of useful pan drawers echo the green of the garden outside and pair with a custom Silestone Blanco Zeus worktop and slim, flat, matt white splashback tiles. Weathered concrete floor tiles run underfoot, warmed by underfloor heating.

There is an undermounted stainless steel sink with Hansgrohe Jet brushed steel mixer tap, with integrated appliances – all newly installed in 2021, including a Beko double oven, AEG 5-ring gas hob with steel ElectriQ overhead extractor and a Beko dishwasher and washing machine, along with a Haier American-style fridge-freezer. The Worcester Bosch Greenstar combi boiler, fitted in 2020, is also discreetly housed here.

Head upstairs via a staircase with white-painted treads to the first floor, where two strategically placed rooflights, with a ‘naked’ pendant between them, continue the airy feel.

The warm-toned engineered oak flooring seen downstairs continues here, flowing into all the bedrooms, including the spacious full width primary bedroom. Lit by a wonderfully wide south-facing window, the original brick of the chimney breast has been limewashed to match the white walls. A brass geometric pendant light centres the room, accompanied by a raw metal column-style radiator, and a stylish hemp rope and timber clothes hanging rail.

The second double bedroom shares a similar décor scheme, with white walls, an exposed chimney breast, and a raw metal radiator beneath a tall window overlooking the side return courtyard below. To the rear, the roomy third double bedroom has a vaulted ceiling and enjoys views out to the garden.

You’ll find the family bathroom adjacent, where it drinks light from two black-framed side-facing windows. White walls, matt white metro tiles and weathered concrete floor tiles with underfloor heating provide the backdrop to a bath with rainfall shower and frameless glass screen; a close-coupled loo; a wall-hung basin with a bank of mirrored cabinets; and oak wall-mounted towel rails.

Outside, the 33ft garden is enclosed by attractive trellising and timber fencing and is bathed in sunshine from lunchtime until the evening in the summer. A patio paved with Kota blue natural limestone leads to a grassy lawn framed with sleepers and beds containing a variety of plants, including a Williams' Bon Chretien pear tree, a Himalayan birch tree, hazel tree, lavender and a selection of climbers, including roses, jasmine and passion fruit. Towards the rear, there’s a brilliant surprise – an original World War II Anderson bomb shelter creates a fascinating addition and has been updated with a slatted timber panel.

A NOTE FROM THE OWNERS

“We're always surprised by the contrasting light throughout the year and how it constantly changes and brightens each space. We particularly love opening the kitchen doors to the garden on a summer's day and enjoying an evening drink on the patio, relaxing in the open plan living dining room, and waking up to a beautiful dawn through the large south-facing bedroom window.”

IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Murchison Road is just an eleven-minute walk from Leyton Tube on the Central line, while the Overground at Leyton Midland Road is only a few more minutes away. For journeys further afield, Stratford International and Walthamstow Central are within easy reach.

Francis Road is at the end of the street, offering a wonderful collection of delis, coffee spots, and independent shops. Try Yardarm for bread and wine, Marmelo for delicious dining, Pause for yoga, and Phlox for books. There's a vibrant local community with several excellent pubs, including the Coach & Horses, Leyton Technical, Heathcote & Star, Filly Brook, and Solvay Society Gravity Well Brewing. Also recommended are Mora for coffee, Bread & Oregano for Greek gyros, Zaxx for great Korean bibimbap, Leyton Tiffin for curry, Figo for quintessential Italian, Burnt Smokehouse for niche BBQ, and Deeney’s for amazing haggis toasties.

A short stroll to both Leyton County Cricket Ground and Coronation Gardens Park, you’re also perfectly placed to enjoy the green spaces of the Olympic Park, Hackney Wick, Wanstead Flats – where you can get fabulous Sunday roasts at The Holly Tree pub – and even Walthamstow Wetlands.

There is a range of good nurseries, schools, and academies nearby, with Newport Primary, rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, just seven minutes away, and George Mitchell All-Through School (Early Years, Primary & Secondary, rated ‘Good’), reachable in 15 minutes.