Little Brownings, a reconfigured 1960s terraced house in Forest Hill, has been named Home of the Year 2022 in the Don’t Move, Improve! Awards.
Selected from a 15-strong shortlist, London-based architectural studio Archmongers’ project Little Brownings impressed the judges with its “exceptional attention to detail and high quality of design.”
Along with the Home of the Year, the expert jury panel selected five special prize winners from the shortlist, all recognised for their outstanding innovative design. All six winning projects demonstrate the value of creativity in creating homes that both express personality and cater to our needs.
The 2022 prize winners:
• Home of the Year 2022: Little Brownings, Lewisham, by Archmongers
• Materiality and Craftsmanship Prize: Concrete Plinth House, Hackney, by DGN Studio
• Compact Design Prize: Non-Boxy Lofty, Lewisham, by Fraher & Findlay
• Unique Character Prize: Forest House, Waltham Forest, by AOC Architecture
• Urban Oasis Prize: Church Road, Haringey, by RUFFARCHITECTS
• Transformation Prize: Slide and Slot House, Enfield, by Ashton Porter Architects
Little Brownings by Archmongers
The architects subtly updated the three-storey, 1960s terraced house in Forest Hill, south London, turning it into a ‘jewellery box’ of design features, whilst being careful to retain its mid-century characteristics.
“The durability of our concept and materials demonstrates our approach to sustainability and placemaking. These values have underpinned our work on Little Brownings, which sits within the renowned Dulwich Estate. Our design instils a freshness to the estate, but is driven by a sensitivity to its original vision, the context of each space, and the people that occupy it,” said Johan Hybschmann, partner at Archmongers Architects.
Judge and property expert Kunle Barker commented: “One of my highlights of the competition. This home delighted me from start to finish. A beautiful space with a level of detailing that surpassed my expectations. Everything in the house has a reason for existing, some things are playful, others beautiful or functional, but they all make you happy.”
Non Boxy Lofty by Fraher & Findlay: The winner of the Compact Design Prize has been praised for its creative inverse floor plan, transforming a bijou first-floor flat with an imaginative use of the loft space.
“Rather than sticking the bedrooms up in the newly converted attic, the kitchen takes pride of place, bathed in light from roof lanterns and with views of the urban scape, commented judge and property and lifestyle journalist Anna White.
Concrete Plinth House by DGN Studio: Awarded the Materiality and Craftsmanship Prize, this extension and renovation of a Victorian semi-detatched terraced house in East London, features a sunken concrete floor to maximise the ground floor ceiling height.
“The beautiful use of raw materials and simple colours combined with structure as the architectural form in a domestic setting has resulted in a house oozing elegance & warmth,” commented Sebastian Wood, judge and Managing Director at Whitby Wood.
Forest House by AOC Architecture: The winner of the Unique Character Prize, is a wrap-around extension of raw, generous spaces for a semi-detatched Victorian house.
“Unique from start to finish,” said judge Kunle Barker. “A home that has truly been designed for the family that will live there. Delightful to see a family really put their stamp on their home. Brave and beautiful in equal measures.”
Church Road by RUFFARCHITECTS: This contemporary house in the heart of the Highgate Conservation Area has been awarded the Urban Oasis Prize. Kunle Barker commented: “A true oasis in the middle of North London. The design leaves the outside, out, and inside, in. Intelligently and thoughtfully combining the two.”
Slide and Slot House by Ashton Porter Architects: The Transformation Prize was awarded to this extension and internal refurbishment to a 19th century workers cottage in Enfield.
“The combination of contemporary materials, form and light, interweave intricately with the existing vernacular domestic language to make a cohesive and elegant family home,” described Nick Pocock, Associate at Ashton Porter Architects.
This year’s jury was chaired by NLA’s director Amy Chadwick Till; Phil Coffey, director of Coffey Architects; Sebastian Wood, director of Whitby Wood; property expert Kunle Barker, and journalist Anna White.
Find out more about the Don’t Move, Improve! Awards, organised by New London Architecture (NLA).
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