Bowness Close, Rhodes Estate, London, E8

Designed by local architects Tectonics, this three-bedroom house extends to approximately 1,118 sq ft and is defined by careful planning, precise detailing and a clear architectural identity. Built by Hackney-based Orsman Construction, the house was developed through minimal demolition and a careful reworking of the existing structure. The project was realised with an intentionally local team, with the owner choosing contractors who all live and work within a one-mile radius of the house.

The principal living space is arranged around a kitchen and dining room with views over the garden towards the former Holy Trinity Institute and adjoining church, now incorporated into the London School of Architecture’s Beechwood Road campus. This gives these rooms an unusual sense of privacy, while setting the contemporary interior against the retained ecclesiastical buildings beyond. Pale oak flooring runs throughout, and large custom-designed windows open directly onto the garden, drawing strong natural light into the plan.

Alongside is a separate living room, lined almost entirely by a large picture window overlooking the garden. Pocket doors are set within the ground-floor partitions, allowing the plan to operate either as an open spatial sequence or as a series of more enclosed rooms. Stainless-steel worktops and terrazzo splashbacks bring a more graphic note to the kitchen, while a ground-floor WC and utility room, with a generous European-style drying cupboard, complete the plan. Here, Portuguese square tiles in a muted chartreuse tone introduce a softer counterpoint to the more utilitarian finishes.

The upper floor accommodates three bedrooms. The principal bedrooms incorporate practical wardrobes designed and built by E2 Joinery. The upstairs bathroom continues the home’s considered material palette, with tonal tiling and custom ribbed cabinetry in a muted green finish, designed by the owner to sit within the broader palette of the interiors.

The hallway was widened as part of the redesign, creating a more generous sense of flow and allowing space for a recessed desk nook. Painted timber floorboards run across the upper level in Nether Red, while a graduated palette of blush and rose tones establishes visual continuity through the house. An encased spiral stair introduces a more sculptural note to the interior, its curved form set against the otherwise crisp geometry of the plan, while colour-matched guttering and downpipes extend this controlled treatment to the exterior.

The environmental strategy is integral to the design and helps lower day-to-day running costs. The house has been carefully insulated and designed to reduce thermal bridging, improving comfort as well as thermal performance. An MVHR system, designed and commissioned by Heat Space and Light, provides continuous filtered air while recovering heat from extracted air. Underfloor heating runs across the ground floor and in the upstairs bathroom, while a green roof, water harvesting and energy-efficient appliances further reduce the home’s environmental impact.

The rear garden, designed by Hannah Stanton, unfolds as a well-composed courtyard garden with paved seating areas and a planting plan that draws on a Mediterranean character, using variations of euphorbia to create structure and repetition throughout. The garden design follows the geometric forms of the house, with outdoor lighting used to accentuate them after dark. Olive-green Hay Palissade furniture sits against a deep pink boundary wall and timber fencing, carrying the interior’s colour language outside.

Included with the house are a number of fitted and freestanding pieces, including bespoke String shelving by String Furniture and a solid beech dining table with Soho Design gothic-back chairs. There is also a range of well-chosen fixtures and appliances. A bike safe is set within the garden, and convenient off-street parking, provided by the local authority, can be conveniently accessed from the rear.

The house is set in one of Hackney’s most established neighbourhoods, within easy walking distance of London Fields and Broadway Market through some of the area’s prettiest residential streets. Little Duck The Picklery, Allpress Espresso and Dalston Curve Garden are all within a five-minute walk. Nearby Dalston Junction and Dalston Kingsland Overground stations provide useful links across London, including quick access into Liverpool Street.