The Don't Move, Improve 2025 cycle kick-off and its highly anticipated shortlist have just been announced - revealing the 14 homes from across London which will compete for the titles on offer in the popular, NLA-organised, VitrA-sponsored event (top gong Home of the Year is accompanied by more awards for sustainability, compact design and more). Last year's winner, Aden Grove, was a Don't Move, Improve 2024 standout submission for its dynamism, energy efficiency and personality.
Don't Move, Improve 2025: the shortlist
The shortlisted projects were chosen this year from a pool of 150 entries and the judges are looking for the capital's finest new examples in creativity and sustainability. The ultimate goal? To meaningfully improve the quality of life of each scheme's inhabitants, through delight and eco-sensitive architectural ingenuity.
Federico Ortiz, head of programme at architectural organisation NLA, said: 'This year’s shortlist exemplifies the power of thoughtful home design to transform not just spaces, but the way we live. These projects offer inspiration and practical solutions for Londoners looking to improve their homes, demonstrating that great design is accessible to all. From small-scale refurbishments to bold architectural statements, these homes are proof that Londoners are embracing the potential of their spaces in incredible ways.'
Don't Move, Improve 2025: 14 shortlisted projects
Aperture House by Curtaz Studio
This remodelling of a mid-terraced Victorian house, draws on its client’s passion for photography and nature – bringing together refined indoors and green outdoors.
Datum House by The DHaus Company Ltd
A modest extension not only adds an extra bedroom to this London duplex, but also completely transforms the lower ground floor into a light filled, open space.
Elemental House by Archmongers Architects
Archmongers’ Elemental House redesigns a 1970s terraced house in London’s Hackney into a functional, light-filled, Scandinavian-inspired family home.
Hartley House by THISS Studio
An eco-conscious reimagining of a Victorian terraced home for a growing London family, THISS Studio’s Hartley House is a celebration of sustainable, spacious living.
Hands-on Home by Natallia Tanko
This is a bold Lewisham self-build that gradually extended and renovated a 1970s ground-floor flat.
Hope Villa by Proctor & Shaw
Sensitive yet dynamic, this house extension remodels and reuses, adding a biodiverse rain garden to its enticing urban mix.
House Extension in Islington by VATRAA
House Extension in Islington by VATRAA transforms a Victorian home in a conservation area by adding a wrapround extension, alongside a full internal refurb.
Lordship Park by Bindloss Dawes Architects
In this project, a neglected house suffering from historic bomb damage and subsidence has been turned from tired bedsit accommodation to warm family home.
Nina's House by Nina+Co with ROAR
Textures and natural materials make this house in South Tottenham a real sanctuary with improved air tightness and an open plan approach.
Plaster House by Sonn Studio
A dropped floor extension to a Hackney house adds much-needed space for its owners, while connected to the outdoors in this bustling part of town.
RAW House by O'Sullivan Skoufoglou Architects
A Lambeth home is reimagined for its owners' current need for a hybrid work/live space through a softly textured material palette.
Steel House by EBBA ARCHITECTS
EBBA architects’ Camden house renovation and double-height extension transform life in a London terraced home.
Terzetto by ConForm Architects
Terzetto is a 97.7sq m two-bedroom lower-ground flat in a four-storey Victorian mansion block. It has the classic bay window onto the street, and its own big garden at the back.
Upper Addison Gardens by Woodrow Vizor Architects & LonProp
A Kensington and Chelsea rooftop extension experiments with timber, adding the material's warmth and biophilic notes to its contemporary design.
-
Five of the finest compact cameras available todayPocketable cameras are having a moment. We’ve assembled a set of cutting-edge compacts that’ll free you from the ubiquity of smartphone photography and help focus your image making
-
London label Wed Studio is embracing ‘oddness’ when it comes to bridal dressingThe in-the-know choice for fashion-discerning brides, Wed Studio’s latest collection explores the idea that garments can hold emotions – a reflection of designers Amy Trinh and Evan Phillips’ increasingly experimental approach
-
Arts institution Pivô breathes new life into neglected Lina Bo Bardi building in BahiaNon-profit cultural institution Pivô is reactivating a Lina Bo Bardi landmark in Salvador da Bahia in a bid to foster artistic dialogue and community engagement
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthFrom Malibu beach pads to cosy cabins blanketed in snow, Wallpaper* has featured some incredible homes this month. We profile our favourites below
-
Meet Forefront, a cultural platform redefining the relationship between art and architectureForefront co-founder Dicle Guntas, managing director of developer HGG, tells us about the exciting new initiative and its debut exhibition, a show of lumino-kinetic sculptures in London
-
Corten curves and contemporary flair transform this terraced house in LondonCagni Williams Associates’ sensitive refurbishment of a south London Edwardian house features a striking and sustainable Corten steel extension
-
You may know it as ‘Dirty House’ – now, The Rogue Room brings 21st-century wellness to ShoreditchThe Rogue Room – set in the building formerly known as Dirty House by Sir David Adjaye, now reinvented by Studioshaw – bridges wellness and culture in London's Shoreditch
-
The architectural innovation hidden in plain sight at Frieze London 2025The 2025 Frieze entrance pavilions launch this week alongside the art fair, showcasing a brand-new, modular building system set to shake up the architecture of large-scale events
-
RIBA Stirling Prize 2025 winner is ‘a radical reimagining of later living’Appleby Blue Almshouse wins the RIBA Stirling Prize 2025, crowning the social housing complex for over-65s by Witherford Watson Mann Architects, the best building of the year
-
‘Belonging’ – the LFA 2026 theme is revealed, exploring how places can become personalThe idea of belonging and what it means in today’s world will be central at the London Festival of Architecture’s explorations, as the event’s 2026 theme has been announced today
-
Join us on a first look inside Regent’s View, the revamped canalside gasholder project in LondonRegent's View, the RSHP-designed development for St William, situated on a former gasholder site on a canal in east London, has just completed its first phase
