London studio Archmongers’ ‘practical and playful’ renovation of a house on the Dulwich Estate became the winner of the Don’t Move, Improve! Competition.
Little Brownings was named the overall winner of this year’s Don’t Move, Improve! – an annual award organized by New London Architecture (NLA) that highlights and celebrates innovative home improvements and extensions across London.
Archmongers’ Little Brownings became the winner of Don’t Move, Improve!
Archmongers’ Little Brownings became the winner of Don’t Move, Improve!As part of the project, Archmongers renovated a 1960s terraced house in Forest Hill’s Dulwich Estate to create a contemporary space that retained its mid-century features.
It completed a full renovation and added a front annex to the three-story building.
Archmongers renovated and expanded a 1960’s townhouse
The studio converted a dated annexe with a corrugated roof at the front of the house into a bright and open kitchen.
Glass paneling has been incorporated throughout the home to maximize the look of the home without obstructing the light.
The front annex contains a kitchen
The front annex contains a kitchen“The durability of our concept and materials demonstrates our approach to sustainability and space design,” said Johan Hybschmann, Partner at Archmongers Architects.
“These values have underpinned our work on Little Brownings, located on the prestigious Dulwich Estate,” he continued.
“Our design brings freshness to the property but is driven by a sensitivity to its original vision, the context of each space and the people who inhabit it.”
The use of materials and the practical, playful and contemporary design of the house led to the jury selecting it as this year’s winner.
“This overall winner strikes a balance between practical and whimsical with contemporary touches like clay countertops in the kitchen and a secret study on the landing,” said judge and journalist Anna White.
15 London Home Renovations shortlisted for Don’t Move, Improve! 2022
“This felt like the house we could all imagine and the improvements we could all make if only we had the right designers! – the embodiment of Don’t Move Improve,” said Sebastian Wood, Founder and Director of Whitby Wood.
In addition to White and Wood, real estate expert Kunle Barker and Coffey Architects director Phil Coffey served on the jury.
Don’t move, improve! is an annual competition open to home improvement projects that have been completed in any of London’s boroughs within the last two years.
The house is a three-storey building
Little Brownings was shortlisted among 15 other projects unveiled on March 2nd.
A further five other shortlisted projects were recognized in prize categories such as the Unique Character Prize, the Urban Oasis Prize and the Compact Design Prize.
The studio used glass paneling throughout
DGN Studio’s Concrete Plinth House won the Materiality and Craftsmanship Prize. The Victorian Terrace was renovated and extended by DGN by introducing a sunken concrete floor across the rear ground floor.
In 2021, The House Recast received the title of House of the Year from Studio Ben Allen, which the judges deemed “rich and interesting”. Proctor & Shaw won the 2020 competition for its Soffit House extension.
Photograph by French + Tye.
