{"id":2075,"date":"2025-03-02T09:00:38","date_gmt":"2025-03-02T10:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/?p=2075"},"modified":"2025-10-02T16:38:38","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T16:38:38","slug":"six-surprisingly-light-filled-london-basement-homes-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/02\/six-surprisingly-light-filled-london-basement-homes-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Six surprisingly light-filled London basement homes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/div>\n

London<\/a>‘s lack of space and strict planning restrictions are pushing some locals to look underground<\/a> in their search for a home. Our latest lookbook<\/a> brings together six sun-catching examples.<\/span><\/p>\n

To make the most of the UK’s sparse sunlight, many of these basement extensions and sunken houses introduce skylights and lightwells or stepped gardens that dip below ground level.<\/p>\n

But they also showcase plenty of non-architectural interventions, with white-washed walls, polished concrete floors and pale timber joinery helping to trap light where the sun doesn’t shine.<\/p>\n

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more see previous lookbooks featuring brutalist kitchens<\/a>, home offices<\/a> and bathrooms with pink sinks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Self-build<\/a>
Photo courtesy of James Shaw and Lou Stoppard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Self-designed home, Shoreditch, by James Shaw<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Planning restrictions in the conservation area around Columbia Road required designer James Shaw<\/a> and writer-curator Lou Stoppard to build all but 2.7 metres of their home out of sight from the street level.<\/p>\n

The result is a two-storey house (top and above) with a large basement that is invisible from the outside, where bright white walls and a small sunken terrace<\/a> help funnel in light.<\/p>\n

Find out more about Shaw’s self-designed home \u203a<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"Brexit<\/a>
Photo by Edmund Sumner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Brexit Bunker, Kensal Rise, by Rise Design Studio<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

In the wake of the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, London firm Rise Design Studio<\/a> constructed the Brexit Bunker as a hideaway from the country’s contentious political climate.<\/p>\n

The sunken garden studio is illuminated by an oriel window and clad almost entirely in plywood<\/a> to create a warm, enveloping interior.<\/p>\n

Find out more about the Brexit Bunker \u203a<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"Interior<\/a>
Photo by French + Tye<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Walden, Tuffnell Park, by Polysmiths<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The varying levels of daylight in this basement flat informed the material and colour palette chosen by architecture studio Polysmiths<\/a> during its refurbishment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“The light internal finishes were used in the public spaces \u2013 living room and dining room, to make sure they feel open and bright, more like a house in the woods than a typical basement apartment,” founder Charles Wu told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

“Private spaces \u2013 bedrooms, bathroom and kitchen \u2013 are darker to provide a level of comfort that is cosy and quiet.”<\/p>\n

Find out more about Walden \u203a<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"Lounge<\/a>
Photo by Jim Stephenson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

House in Primrose Hill, Primrose Hill, by Jamie Fobert Architects<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Local studio Jamie Fobert Architects<\/a> added two floors undeath a Victorian house in Primrose Hill to turn it into a spacious five-bedroom family home.<\/p>\n

Glazed walls, lightwells<\/a> and skylights ensure the new spaces feel as bright and comfortable as the rest of the house, while exposed polished concrete walls, beams and joists amplify London’s sparse sunlight.<\/p>\n

Find out more about House in Primrose Hill \u203a<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"Heath<\/a>
Photo by St\u00e5le Eriksen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Heath House, Highgate, by Proctor & Shaw<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Another project using wood to brighten up a subterranean floor is this Grade II-listed villa in north London by Proctor & Shaw<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The local firm added a basement extension defined by oiled Douglas fir beams, shiny terrazzo<\/a> floors and light-pink clay plaster walls, accessed via a staircase with a small workstation tucked away on the landing.<\/p>\n

Find out more about Heath House \u203a<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"Powerscroft<\/a>
Photo by Jake Curtis and Elliot Sheppard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Powerscroft Road, Clapton, by Daytrip<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

White-washed walls, Douglas fir cabinetry and pale Evora marble<\/a> countertops help to trap sunlight in the basement of this Clapton townhouse, excavated by London studio Daytrip<\/span>\u00a0to make space for a large kitchen.<\/p>\n

“A muted and pale palette of off-whites are paired with honest materials which promote their inherent patterns and textures without feeling ‘over-designed’ or mass-produced,” co-founder Iwan Halstead told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

Find out more about Powerscroft Road \u203a<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more see previous lookbooks featuring brutalist kitchens<\/a>, home offices<\/a> and bathrooms with pink sinks<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Six surprisingly light-filled London basement homes<\/a> appeared first on Dezeen<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

London‘s lack of space and strict planning restrictions are pushing some locals to look underground […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2080,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-color-design"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2075"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2093,"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075\/revisions\/2093"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}