Are these London's best home improvements of the year?
The 2021 shortlist for the coveted ‘Don't Move, Improve' competition in London has been revealed and demonstrates a playful twist to home improvements

If the 2021 shortlist for ‘Don't Move, Improve' is anything to go by, then home improvements during a year of on-and-off lockdowns have resulted in a series of fun and playful projects. The coveted London-wide competition's nominees have just been announced and it's clear that colour is king and unexpected designs that bring a sense of lightness to the everyday have been the order of the day in the UK capital.
That said, the list is expansive and diverse, covering the aforementioned exuberant designs, but also anything from sober, modernist-inspired abodes, to small scale extensions, garden outbuilding additions and Scandinavian-influenced interiors in every corner of London. It features young and established practices alike, including studios such as Hayhurst and Co, Office S&M, Eckford Chong, and Nimtim Architects.
Overcast House by Office S&M
The competition, organised annually by New London Architecture (a.k.a. NLA) is currently in its eleventh year. For 2021, the judges (a panel including NLA curator in chief Peter Murray, NLA managing director Tamsie Thomson, property expert, journalist and TV presenter Kunle Barker, and Groupwork director and architect Amin Taha) received some-200 applications, which they narrowed down to the 22 shortlisted designs.
‘Don't Move, Improve! is for everyone, that's why we select a spread of projects with a range of budgets and client briefs,' says Thomson. ‘It is remarkable what can be achieved when the client and their designer are in sync. We have seen projects that are muted and some with hyper-trendy futuristic colour palettes, in every case though, the Top 100, and especially the shortlist have impressed us with the way in which they address the needs of the homeowner, which of course, is the most important function of a home.'
Apart from the overall winner, prizes this year also include special home improvements' categories: Urban Oasis of the Year, Compact Design of the Year, WFH Design of the Year, Best project under £100K and the Environmental Leadership Prize. All will be revealed later in the year.
A Cloistered House by Turner Architects Ltd
Amott Road by Alexander Owen Architecture
Claire And Tom’s Home by Zminkowska De Boise Architects
Council House Renovation by Vatraa
Elmfield Road by Eckford Chong
ER Residency by Hallet Ike
The House Recast by Studio Ben Allen.
Grain House by Hayhurst and Co
House in Hackney by YARD Architects
Lydford Road by Artefact
Mo-Tel House by Office S&M.
Mountain View House by CAN
Fruit Box by Nimtim Architects
Origami House by KSKa Architects
Peckham Rye House by Draper Studio
St Mary’s House by Paul Archer Design
Two And A Half Storey House by Bradley Van Der Straeten Architects
Umfreville road by The DHaus Company
INFORMATION
nla.london
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Tuneshine is a new way of bringing back the lost art of the album cover
The compact Tuneshine screen uses LED tech to illuminate the artwork of whatever you’re currently streaming
-
Inside the new theatre at Jacob’s Pillow and its ‘magic box’, part of a pioneering complex designed for dance
Jacob’s Pillow welcomes the reborn Doris Duke Theatre by Mecanoo, a new space that has just opened in the beloved Berkshires cultural hub for the summer season
-
What to see at Rencontres d’Arles 2025, questioning power structures in the state and family
Suppressed memories resurface in sharply considered photography at Rencontres d'Arles 2025. Here are some standout photographers to see
-
The inimitable Norman Foster: our guide to the visionary architect, shaping the future
Norman Foster has shaped today's London and global architecture like no other in his field; explore his work through our ultimate guide to this most impactful contemporary architect
-
Shard Place offers residents the chance to live in the shadow of London’s tallest building
The 27-storey tower from Renzo Piano Building Workshop joins The Shard and The News Building to complete Shard Quarter, providing a sophisticated setting for renters
-
Kengo Kuma’s ‘Paper Clouds’ in London is a ‘poem’ celebrating washi paper in construction
‘Paper Clouds’, an installation by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, is a poetic design that furthers research into the use of washi paper in construction
-
Foster + Partners to design the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II
For the Queen Elizabeth II memorial, Foster + Partners designs proposal includes a new bridge, gates, gardens and figurative sculptures in St James’ Park
-
Wolves Lane Centre brings greenery, growing and grass roots together
Wolves Lane Centre, a new, green community hub in north London by Material Cultures and Studio Gil, brings to the fore natural materials and a spirit of togetherness
-
A new London exhibition explores the legacy of Centre Pompidou architect Richard Rogers
‘Richard Rogers: Talking Buildings’ – opening tomorrow at Sir John Soane’s Museum – examines Rogers’ high-tech icons, which proposed a democratic future for architecture
-
The 2025 Obel Award is scooped not by an architect or building, but by a movement
HouseEurope! has won the 2025 Obel Award; the non-profit organisation has been advocating for ecological and social transformation in the built environment
-
At the Royal Academy summer show, architecture and art combine as never before
The Royal Academy summer show is about to open in London; we toured the iconic annual exhibition and spoke to its curator for architecture, Farshid Moussavi