Minimalist craft: Claudio Silvestrin’s latest house design is an ode to simplicity

London-based architect Claudio Silvestrin has the minimalist approach down to a T, and his latest residential office – a single-family house in the area of Hampstead Village, in the British capital’s north-west – is a case in point.

Cannon Lane House is a new build structure, located within a picturesque conservation area. The client, a developer intending to put it on the market for the right, design-aware buyer, was after a property of significant quality and size; the architect duly obliged, balancing this with an understated exterior appearance that is quiet and unobtrusive within its residential street.

Don’t let the simple brick and glass exterior fool you; inside, the space truly unfolds to reveal an elegantly lavish interior, designed in calming earth tones. Austere, minimalist lines are matched by luxury touches, such as yellow-ochre porphyry stone from the Italian Dolomites on the walls, oxidised brass with a bronze finish on handles, surfaces and railings, yellow-ochre porphyry, and oak flooring.

Curved lines create interesting light play, geometrical compositions and vistas inside, while maintaining an air of simplicity and openness. The lack of excessive ornamentation also works towards that.

The structure spans five storeys and 800 sq m, also including an inset garage, a cinema room, 160 sq m of garden space, and a dedicated indoor pool and spa area. This spa and pool area is tucked away at the lower floors, reached by a long stone staircase, which creates the impression that the visitor enters a different world, serene and cut off from the bustling streets of London.