Georgian architecture has long been a source of inspiration to architects for its clean external lines, balanced proportions and majestic windows that often concealed a more playful, ornamental interior. Even modernist Erno Goldfinger admits to referencing the historical style, when he designed his famous Hampstead home, Willow Road.
Architects Gundry + Ducker also looked at Georgian interiors for their latest residential project in London, White Rabbit House, the renovation of a 1970s Neo-Georgian terrace. ‘The idea was to insert a modern interpretation of Georgian house interior into a standard post war house’, says Christian Ducker. ‘We wanted a playful interior, accommodating the unexpected, with changes in scale and height and atmosphere.’
The result is a colourful home, which ticks all the boxes the client outlined – mostly, practical requirements in terms of bedroom numbers and storage needs – but also offers a tongue-in-cheek alternative to residential design. Marble and terrazzo floors, arches and bespoke joinery in a vibrant green colour make the living areas pop, while the standout moment is without a doubt the grand staircase that unfolds into the entrance hall’s triple-height void.
White Rabbit's distinctive style made it a worthy winner in the ‘Most Unique Character’ category in this year’s Don’t Move, Improve! competition, organised by the NLA; winners were announced earlier in the week, celebrating the capital's finest home improvement projects in categories highlighting, among other elements, size, sustainability and craftmanship.
A version of this article originally appeared in the March 2020 issue of Wallpaper* (W*252)
INFORMATION
-
Year in Review: we’re always after innovations that interest us – here are ten of 2025’s bestWe present ten pieces of tech that broke the mould in some way, from fresh takes on guitar design, new uses for old equipment and the world’s most retro smartwatch
-
Art and culture editor Hannah Silver's top ten interviews of 2025Glitching, coding and painting: 2025 has been a bumper year for art and culture. Here, Art and culture editor Hannah Silver selects her favourite moments
-
In Norway, remoteness becomes the new luxuryAcross islands and fjords, a new wave of design-led hideaways is elevating remoteness into a refined, elemental form of luxury
-
This curved brick home by Flawk blends quiet sophistication and playful detailsDistilling developer Flawk’s belief that architecture can be joyful, precise and human, Runda brings a curving, sculptural form to a quiet corner of north London
-
A compact Scottish home is a 'sunny place,' nestled into its thriving orchard settingGrianan (Gaelic for 'sunny place') is a single-storey Scottish home by Cameron Webster Architects set in rural Stirlingshire
-
Porthmadog House mines the rich seam of Wales’ industrial past at the Dwyryd estuaryStröm Architects’ Porthmadog House, a slate and Corten steel seaside retreat in north Wales, reinterprets the area’s mining and ironworking heritage
-
Arbour House is a north London home that lies low but punches highArbour House by Andrei Saltykov is a low-lying Crouch End home with a striking roof structure that sets it apart
-
A former agricultural building is transformed into a minimal rural home by Bindloss DawesZero-carbon design meets adaptive re-use in the Tractor Shed, a stripped-back house in a country village by Somerset architects Bindloss Dawes
-
RIBA House of the Year 2025 is a ‘rare mixture of sensitivity and boldness’Topping the list of seven shortlisted homes, Izat Arundell’s Hebridean self-build – named Caochan na Creige – is announced as the RIBA House of the Year 2025
-
In addition to brutalist buildings, Alison Smithson designed some of the most creative Christmas cards we've seenThe architect’s collection of season’s greetings is on show at the Roca London Gallery, just in time for the holidays
-
In South Wales, a remote coastal farmhouse flaunts its modern revamp, primed for hostingA farmhouse perched on the Gower Peninsula, Delfyd Farm reveals its ground-floor refresh by architecture studio Rural Office, which created a cosy home with breathtaking views
