Blackbox House II is an example of London residential architecture designed to stand out – while simultaneously disappearing into the streetscape.

The clever two-bedroom London property was designed by Form_art Architects in 2014 as a reinterpretation of the traditional mews. It’s located on a cobbled street in Hackney’s De Beauvoir estate and was envisaged as ‘a house gallery and a gallery house’, adopting and inverting the ‘white box’ concept by playing with transparency and light.

Form_art’s founding director, Alison Mclellan, explained the project: ‘In contrast to the traditional mews architecture of solid brick enclosures with tiny windows and little daylight, this design is filled with light but still respects the contextual language of a “solid box. ”

The building’s dark Vande Moortel brick facade is punctuated by narrow horizontal and tall vertical windows, and a lattice of dark wooden battens rises above the camouflaged front door, concealing the brick courtyard behind while allowing light to stream through.

Blackbox’s ground floor is open and bright, with floor-to-ceiling glazing drawing light to the interior and offering views of the paved courtyard. A contemporary Barbas Bellfire anchors the living room, while the kitchen also riffs on the house’s inherent idea of transparency and concealment, half hidden by a wall, with stainless steel appliances and integrated Gaggenau appliances.

A small landing accesses two bedrooms on either side of the stairs, each with an ensuite and views over the courtyard.

Textural interplay comes from bespoke cabinets, Dinesen Douglas fir floorboards, which run throughout the house, as well as Birch ply, red and orange rubber flooring, concrete and brick.

The London property is for sale via The Modern House for £1.3m—tour Blackbox House II in the gallery above.

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