Brixton Road, London SW9

Meticulously restored and renovated by award-winning architects OMMX, this Grade II-listed detached Georgian villa sits in the Brixton Road Conservation Area. The five-bedroom house unfolds across an impressive symmetrical plan owing to its rare double-fronted configuration. Set within a generous plot, the house sits behind a paved front garden enclosed by pleached trees, with a larger lawn area and summer house at the rear.

The Architect

OMMX builds, draws and writes about architecture, believing it gives form to the desire to understand and express ourselves. The practice has been nominated for an array of awards, including the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – The Mies van der Rohe Award in 2019. It has had recent successes in high-profile competitions organised by the American Institute of Architects, the Royal Institute of British Architects, the National Infrastructure Commission, and the British Council.

The Tour

The house sits back from the road behind a stock-brick wall and tall wooden gates. A centrally positioned path leads to the front door, with thriving vegetable beds on either side and a mature Hornbeam tree in its north-easterly corner. Fragrant jasmine climbs over the front door, which has a roundhead fanlight above. Both the door and the sash windows have been picked out in Little Greene’s ‘Obsidian Green’, matching the surrounding fence.

Subject to an exacting renovation in recent years, the current owners stripped back to the original house where appropriate, implementing a new wiring and plumbing system. There is also a new boiler, acoustic flooring and a CCTV system.

Painted a sunny yellow, the spacious entrance hall bisects the house’s original plan, with the grand staircase at the far end. The living room and library lie to the left of the hall, with the kitchen and dining spaces to the right, all grounded by the house's original wide plank floorboards. The double-aspect configuration of each wing illuminates these rooms, with each sash restored to its Georgian archetype. Revived original wooden shutters provide privacy and shade when desired.

The living room and study have been finished in contrasting shades of teal and midnight blue. In the former, bespoke joinery conceals the television and associated wiring. A white-painted oval emulates a ceiling rose in the study, a soft juxtaposition with the geometric open shelves that enclose the space. There is also an additional shower room on this floor, flooded with natural light from large skylights.

Tongue-and-groove-style joinery continues in the kitchen, where cabinetry is topped with brushed steel worktops. A central island adds plenty of preparation space. The dining room seamlessly flows into a vast glass extension with soaring ceilings and exposed beams that highlight its slanted, mono-pitch roof. Here, a freestanding lollypop-shaped lamp recalls the work of Swedish pop art artist Claus Oldenburg. Built-in benches along one side enclose plenty of additional storage and a poured concrete floor is warmed by underfloor heating. The floor-to-ceiling glazed door pivots into the garden, which has been cleverly levelled with the room to create a seamless feeling.

The staircase, with its original balustrade and stained-glass window, ascends to the first floor, where four equally proportioned double bedrooms lie. Special attention has been given to preserving the original cabinetry and fireplaces in these rooms. Sash windows frame views over the front or rear garden, offering leafy outlooks regardless of position, with handmade blinds that carefully respond to the individual character and palette of each room. A family bathroom sits in the centre, finished with matt off-white tiles, brass accents and dashes of striking yellow. There is also an extensive loft and cellar for storage.

The summer house sits at the rear of the garden, predominantly clad in zinc with sliding glazed doors. Poured concrete floors and exposed beams here are completed by a soft neutral colour scheme. Currently configured as a gym, the space would suit multiple uses. It has both a separate entrance from the garden and an en suite shower room, so could be converted into an annexe.  The parking space can be reached from here, with its electric charging point and a separate entrance for easy access and security.

Outdoor Space

The house sits within a large and private plot, with beautifully landscaped gardens at the front and rear.

Sensitively reflecting the period proportions of the façade, the front garden has been laid symmetrically. Predominantly used to grow vegetables in neat planters, an array of well-tended shrubs and flower beds line the perimeter alongside a strip of pleached trees often used in formal gardens.

The rear garden is awash with green. Mainly to lawn, it has fragrant swathes of jasmine that climb across the original stock-brick wall. A crunchy gravelled path runs parallel, leading to a stone patio with the summer house just behind.

The Area

Situated between Brixton, Clapham and Vauxhall, Stockwell is known as ‘Little Portugal’ for its large and diverse Portuguese-speaking community. The area has several good pubs, including local favourites The Canton Arms and The Landor with its large garden. Brixton is well known for its excellent food and bar scene - Brixton Village, Market Row and Acre Lane are all of particular note. The Ritzy Cinema, Electric Brixton and Brixton O2 Academy are much-loved institutions and there are regular farmer’s markets in Brixton and Oval.

The beautiful Myatts Fields Park is a 15-minute stroll towards Camberwell, and for more expansive walks, the open fields of Burgess Park and Battersea Park are a 30-minute walk east and west respectively. There are tennis courts, a café and a lake at Burgess Park, and the beautiful Battersea Park has an extensive frontage and riverside promenade to the River Thames, where wide, tree-lined avenues meander around a large boating lake and through open lawned areas.

The house also sits within the catchment for two schools rated as "Outstanding" by Ofsted: Reay Primary and Ashmole Primary.

Oval Station (Northern Line) is approximately a 10-minute walk away, while Stockwell Station (Northern and Victoria lines) is a 15-minute walk away, for quick connections to Oxford Circus and King's Cross.

Council Tax Band: E