A while back, we wrote about Fraher & Findlay‘s inspired update of a Georgian home. Today, we’re sharing another project, a renovation of an old Victorian in Hackney, London, featuring a Japanese-inspired tsubo-niwa.
Tsubo is a unit of measure equal to the area of two tatami mats (about 3.3 square meters); niwa means garden. As a compound word, it describes a small courtyard garden—and that’s precisely what was added to the property to connect a new rear addition to the original building.
Inserting a classically Japanese feature into a classically European house may seem like an odd mismatch, but it somehow works—and nowhere is this more apparent than in the kitchen and dining areas.
Mari kita buat lawatan.
Photography by Adam Scott, courtesy of Fraher & Findlay.
Above: The kitchen and dining room are housed in the new rear extension of the home. To the left (just beyond the glass door) is the small courtyard (or
tsubo-niwa) “to help articulate a relationship between the existing house and the new architecture,” says Fraher & Findlay.
Above: The cabinets were custom-made by the joinery experts at Oblique Furniture in London. The marble used for the countertop and backsplash was sourced from J&R Marble.
Above: The backyard is on the other side of the kitchen, directly across from the
tsubo-niwa.,
Above: An above-the-counter narrow ledge and ridged-glass upper cabinets allow for partial open storage.
Above: Artful brass pulls and knobs from Swarf Hardware.
Above: A steel and glass door opens into the interior courtyard.
Above: The view from the
tsubo-niwa into the kitchen. The door is by Josko. “We wanted an external environment to act as a pivot point between the spaces, whilst acting as an environmental tool to bring in lots of natural light and to aid natural ventilation,” says Fraher & Findlay.
Above: A built-in bench in the lofted area cleverly transitions into a kitchen peninsula.,
Above: A glass and brass Atelier Areti Row Pendant Light is a glamorous touch.
Above: “It feels like a quiet force, providing life energy to the house. It is visible from all the rooms in the house with the exception of two bedrooms and one bathroom,” says Fraher & Findlay of the courtyard. Faye Toogood’s Roly Poly Polyethylene Armchair in Flesh for Driade anchors a corner.
Above: “The internal spaces were to feel textured, calm, and lived-in; as such, a raw plaster finish was used to reflect the softness of the house,” says Fraher & Findlay.
Above: In a home that celebrates smooth transitions and meaningful connections, naturally the indoor bench extends into an outdoor one in the yard.
For more kitchens with access to outdoor space, see:
- Kitchen of the Week: A London Architect’s Sky-Lit Compact Kitchen
- Kitchen of the Week: A Laid-Back Courtyard Kitchen Where ‘Family Life Unfolds’
- Kitchen of the Week: A Scandi Blonde Wood Design in Bed-Stuy, Garden Included
