GRAPHĒ: The Inspiration for This Trippy London Home? Anything but Architecture

"Hyperreal natural scenes" served as source matter, leading to flame-shaped cutouts hanging from skylights, a wall of pink tie-dye tiles, and a meandering kitchen island.

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Project Details:

Location: London, United Kingdom

Architect: CAN / @can_agram

Footprint: 1,830 square feet

Builder: MxH Construction

Structural Engineer: Hardman Engineers

Photographer: Felix Speller / @felixspeller

From the Architect: "Named Druid Grove for its mystical and grounding qualities, the house weaves together an eclectic mix of natural and monumental elements, both fabricated and real, into material-rich spaces that feel part stage set, part sanctuary. Asked by CAN to share inspiration unrelated to architecture, the client shared their brief through a set of hyperreal natural scenes, modern steel structures, and dripping floral arrangements. The priority was to create a dynamic and open environment that maximizes natural light while bringing in an experimental yet cohesive mix of materials to create a unique and personal dwelling.

"A rear extension and removal of a central structural wall unlocked the ground floor plan, reorganizing it around a central antechamber, transformed from a dark underutilized dining area into a key introductory space. The antechamber, set with a bar, is flanked by a pair of cave-like openings concealing sliding pocket doors and setting the scene for the rough cast texture of the kitchen and dining area. The front living room is painted entirely in a creamy white to maintain visual continuity and emphasize the architectural gesture of the cave openings. Flooring consists of Douglas fir plywood panels, oiled to highlight natural texture and grain. The kitchen is transformed from a dark outrigger into an open, customized space defined by a meandering stainless-steel kitchen island.

"Adding to the feeling of exaggerated natural forms, overhead timber trusses are imagined as growing tendrils, stained pale green. Designed by CAN in collaboration with the client, the patterns were printed and traced, hand cut by the contractor on-site. Set against the gray rough cast texture of the kitchen is an elevation of custom glazed Palet tiles in varying pink and orange tones. A high gloss pale pinky-cream paint bounces light through the room. Standing sentinel to the ground floor extension in the garden is a single standing stone or ‘menhir’, a physical and symbolic anchor that provides privacy from neighboring views. Chosen by the client and architect at a stone farm in Cornwall, it was safely yet nail bitingly craned over the house and into position. Last moved by the glacier that deposited it 15,000 years ago, this ancient rock adds to the cave-like sense of protection and enclosure, standing in contrast to the spacey steel canopy of the patio. The stone’s presence sets the tone for the home’s connection to nature: elemental, experimental, and entirely personal."