Such are rents and mortgages these days, many Londoners are grateful enough to have a roof over their heads. Still, every September, Open House London summons us to dream about the properties we might call home in another life. Here are nine residences across Greater London that you'll probably never own, but can at least pop your head into this month. It won't cost you anything, either.
11 Elstree Hill, Beckenham
"It all started in the summer of 1976, when Lewisham council succeeded in finding 14 families to join their self-build scheme to design and build their own homes on four new sites in the borough which were considered unsuitable for building conventional types of housing." Says Dawn Jones, aka The House That Dad Built, "One of the first self-builders was my father, Ken Atkins, who became a great advocate of self-build and chairman of the Lewisham Self-Build Housing Association." The architect Walter Segal might've been dubbed an 'anarchist', yet his houses have lasted remarkably well; half a century on this delightful estate is still thriving, and for one day, Number 11 is open for your perusal. Perhaps you'll come away wanting to knock up your own wooden home...
Open Saturday 13 September, just drop in.
Kew House, Kew
Kew's famous palm houses aren't the only glass architecture worth celebrating in these parts. The walls of a 19th century brick stables are retained, becoming a characterful front for this house of two distinct wings, joined by a glazed circulation link, which ushers floods of light into the building year-round. As a bonus for visitors, Art Form — an exhibition on the engineering of 50 major artworks by Price & Myers — is on display in the basement gallery.
Open Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September, just drop in.
Segmental House, Stockwell
A touch of Scandinavian modernism in south London, this Douglas fir-panelled interior breaths a fresh and unexpected energy into an old townhouse. Says Dominic McKenzie, who envisioned it: "Our design balances contemporary playfulness with sensitivity to the historic building and context. Responding to the surroundings of dark weathered brickwork at the rear, the extension is constructed from bespoke bricks featuring an arch or segment motif, and these bricks are arranged in a Flemish bond pattern matching the main house rear wall and pointed with lime mortar." Ask to see the secret doors concealing a hidden pantry, a TV... and hidden cat food bowls.
Open Sunday 14 September, just drop in.
Golden Lane, City
Standing in the (pretty much literal) shadow of its world-famous neighbour the Barbican, Golden Lane — designed by the same architects, namely Chamberlin, Powell and Bon — often gets short shrift, yet make no bones about it, this is a classic piece of residential modernism — and during Open House, you've got the chance to step inside one of its maisonettes, to admire the retrofitting job carried out by Studio naama. If you require any more persuading, check out the dreamy photos in this Golden Lane coffee table book.
Open Sunday 14 September, just drop in.
Nina's House, Harringay
"It's a full-time family home and workplace, full of purpose and feeling. A place to live lightly, yet fully," says Nina Woodcroft, founder of Nina+Co, and co-owner/lead design of this cork-clad project. "We have radically transformed it from a cold, leaky and uninspiring 1970s house into a warm, energy-efficient home using predominantly natural, local or recycled materials. It's a fossil fuel-free, low-energy home — as well as a prototype for, and a hopeful step towards, more natural retrofitting. We're amazed and appreciative of how low our bills are." Nina must feel especially smug this time of year, when the temperatures drop, and energy companies raise their prices. Nip in for one of the short tours, and warm yourself up.
Open Friday 19 and Saturday 20 September, just drop in.
Argentine Ambassador's Residence, Belgravia
You don't have to be Argentine to live here but it helps. Oh hang on, you DO have to be Argentine to live here, but you can have a snoop around as part of Open House. A very different residence to most of the newish kids on the block in this article, the decadent Argentine Embassy was conceived by Thomas Cubitt, builder of many-a great square in central London. Tours are conducted regularly across the two days it's open, inviting you to swoon over the wellspring of paintings, furniture, tapestries and mirrors — and discover a secret passageway or two along the way.
Open Friday 19 and Saturday 20 September, just drop in.
A Living Wonderland, Haggerston
An already-dreamy house is embellished with a succession of quirkily unexpected moments: cartoonishly warped balusters; an outdoor cocktail cabinet. "My favourite room in the house is the main bathroom," says Irenie Cossey, founder of Irenie Studio — and both owner and architect of A Living Wonderland. "The huge shower with the curtain surround. Play on privacy, layering and fun. One of the unexpected details in the home is the use of snooker balls as handles on all the original cupboards. I wanted to add colour and have people guessing what they were."
Open Saturday 20 September, just call in.
15 and a half Consort Road, Peckham
Our very first Open House experience if memory serves, the magic of this unique build — as featured on Channel 4's Grand Designs, and one of people's all-time faves at that — lies in its eccentricity; a living room with a fully-opening roof, transforming it into a courtyard; a jacuzzi stashed beneath the bed. When it was built over two decades ago, 15 and a half Consort Road cost £40k for the land and £170k for the house — a hell of a lot of cash then. But given how trendy Peckham's now become — not to mention how time has only proved this house to be timeless — it was worth every penny.
Open Saturday 20 September, just drop in.
Hemp House, Upper Norwood
It might sound like the nickname a bunch of freshers give to their uni digs, but Hemp House is in fact a very well considered renovation of a 1930s semi-detached, into a dream family home. The hemp in question is the angular back end extension, designed by Nimtim Architects, and made from timber and 'hempcrete' — a breathable, chemical-free bio-base material that absorbs and stores significant quantities of CO2 through its production. What we particularly love is how the hempcrete remains exposed, lending it a scaled down, Barbican-esque beauty.
Open Saturday 20 September, just drop in.
