Arabin Road, London SE4

Originally built as a Victorian coach house, this detached house between Brockley and Crofton Park has been brilliantly extended and transformed by its architect owner. Inspired by a snail shell, the plan is configured around a series of rooms that spiral off its central core. Original period features meld with clean modern lines and materials to create an airy and light-filled space. A mature courtyard garden hugs the home and is filled with fragrant plants, wildflowers and ferns.



The Tour



Hidden from view, the house is set back behind a wooden gate. A meandering path snakes around the house's cedar-clad front profile to the entrance, which is set into the original stock brick façade. A sturdy grey door opens into a well-sized space to hang coats and stow shoes.



Inside, the layout has been designed as a series of open, interconnected rooms. Modern exposed building blocks juxtapose with retained original features including exposed brickwork, raw iron girders, oak beams and double-height arched iron windows that scatter light about. Column radiators and characterful knotted floorboards run throughout the house.



A spacious dining room acts as a conduit to all the rooms on the ground floor and to the garden, accessible via aluminium-framed French doors. The double-height living room is on the left; here, original leaded windows and a new wall of glass at the top of the 23-ft high ceiling cast light and shadows across the black shou sugi ban used along the mezzanine rooms above. There is also plenty of storage space in a bank of cupboards along the far wall beneath the mezzanine. The overall result is a flexible, comfortable space that, come wintertime, is particularly cosy with its wood-burning stove.



Oak beams frame the galley-style kitchen, which lies just off the dining room. Its simple black cabinetry and oak countertops house integrated appliances including a gas hob and dishwasher. A hidden light-well above the beams filters natural light into the space.



A bedroom, currently used as an office, it is beautifully lit by an expansive T-shaped half-frosted window. A bathroom completes the ground-floor plan and is immaculately finished with white tiles and exposed brickwork; a second hidden light-well here draws in a soothing quality of light.



The remaining two sleeping areas are upstairs, reached via a staircase that passes an original leaded window on the ascent. A landing at the top overlooks the living room below and acts as a bridge (or a clever divide) between both rooms.



At the rear, a large sleeping space is clad in shou sugi ban and shares the large leaded window with the living room below; light is also borrowed from an internal glazed window with blinds. Floorboards ground the room and there is plenty of hanging space in built-in ply wardrobes. To one side is an adjoining bathroom, lit theatrically by a covered lead-grilled window. Sisal carpet flows underfoot across the landing and into the front bedroom, which overlooks the garden.



Outdoor Space



At the front of the house is an established courtyard garden filled with fragrant lavender, jasmine and mint, as well as steel-encased raised beds growing nigella, white hydrangeas and lemon thyme. Ivy climbers trail over the London stock brick walls that bound the space, which has plenty of room for an outdoor dining set-up.



The Area



Arabin Road is equidistant from the neighbourhoods of Brockley and Crofton Park. There are numerous cafes, restaurants and bars, all within easy reach, including the now legendary Browns of Brockley coffee shop, Joyce natural wine bar and L'Oculto for excellent tapas and a wide array of conveniences. Nearby Brockley Market runs every Saturday and features a wide range of organic traders (butchers, grocers, fishmongers), food trucks and plants sellers. Crofton Park is home to Jones of Brockley, a wonderful local deli offering a wide selection of seasonal produce, natural wine and craft beer. For more of our recommendations in the area, look to our Brockley and Nunhead guide.



The excellent green spaces of Hilly Fields Park (and its cafe) are a short walk away. The Brockley and Ladywell Cemetery spans 37 acres of beautiful green space and is under a five-minute walk away. Ladywell Fields is around a 20-minute walk from the house and is a 54-acre park which is part of the Waterlink Way and includes the River Ravensbourne, a nature reserve, café, adventure playground, several rare mature trees and a flock of parakeets.



There are plenty of excellent schooling options in the area including independent and state schools. John Stainer Community Primary School, Gordonbrock Primary School and Harris Girls and Boys Academy in East Dulwich are all highly regarded.



The closest station is Brockley, running Thameslink services to London Bridge in approximately 15 minutes. Alternatively, Brockley station runs London Overground services to Highbury and Islington in about 30 minutes, and National Rail or Thameslink services citywide.



Council Tax Band: C