All dreamed at one point in our lives of living in a treehouse
(Image credit: press)

Alex Haw and Friedrich Vitzthum of East London practice Atmos Studio gently trained the house from its core outwards toward the undulating 90 sq m garden, creating a two-way flow that merges the luxurious common areas with the lush outdoors. It's as if their hands were guided by Georgia O'Keefe, but without all her southwestern colour: here it's just white, natural parquet and raw concrete.

The organic flow breezes in from the garden and up the staircase, its branch-like balustrade echoing art nouveau, but with a decidedly contemporary twist. The skirting boards, made from decorative wood strips, resemble hungry roots that climb over doorways like cornicing. Lightwells and skylights carry the open sky into more sheltered spaces. And where there is little natural light, slots in the ceiling conduct an artificial glow from room to room.

It all seems very fanciful, yet those flourishes have purpose. Walls with curved tiers like strata always open up towards a light source. In the study the strata form library shelves and a desk looking out a floor-to-ceiling window. A granite kitchen countertop streams out past the rear window into the garden, where the owners use it in the summer for potting.

It's as if the entire house runs on photosynthesis. We can only dream.

The architects have created a two-way flow that merges the luxurious common areas

The architects have created a two-way flow that merges the luxurious common areas with the lush outdoors

(Image credit: press)

The organic flow breezes in from the garden and up the staircase

The organic flow breezes in from the garden and up the staircase, its branch-like balustrade echoing art nouveau, but with a decidedly contemporary twist

(Image credit: press)

The skirting boards, made from decorative wood strips

The skirting boards, made from decorative wood strips, resemble hungry roots that climb over doorways like cornicing

(Image credit: press)

The material and colour palette comprises natural parquet

The material and colour palette comprises natural parquet, white walls and raw concrete

(Image credit: press)

The staircase, seen from above

The staircase, seen from above

(Image credit: press)

Lightwells and skylights carry the open sky into more sheltered spaces

Lightwells and skylights carry the open sky into more sheltered spaces and where there is little natural light, slots in the ceiling conduct an artificial glow from room to room

(Image credit: press)

The open plan kitchen

The open plan kitchen

(Image credit: press)

The climbing root motif is extended to bathrooms

The climbing root motif is extended to bathrooms

(Image credit: press)

ADDRESS

Mallinson Road
London

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