Lee Terrace
Mailen Design has completed Lee Terrace, a new-build, family home in Blackheath, South East London. The practice has redeveloped a triple-garage infill plot within a historic conservation area into a three-bedroom, free-standing property.
Inspired by mews houses, the contemporary home is sympathetic to the character and appearance of the surrounding architecture and street scene, which includes several Grade II listed Victorian properties. Its detailed execution fulfils Lewisham and Blackheath councils’ ambition to introduce sustainable new construction into the area, setting a benchmark for integrating new architecture across the whole of London.
Referencing the traditional relationship between mews buildings to the end of plots of large listed buildings, Mailen Design’s Lee Terrace has a contextual nature. The first and second storeys are recessed, aligning with the front elevations of the adjacent terraced houses. The house’s stepped facade consists of London stock brickwork and pre-cast stone, featuring ornamental angled brick detailing that complements the visual language of the area. On top sits the crowning volume, clad in subtly undulating aluminium panels with a bronze finish, a sophisticated yet unobtrusive gesture that allows the new home to settle into the architectural context of the area whilst quietly stating its own personality.
An existing garden wall has been extended to conceal the open ground floor and main entrance to the house. From the street, a black timber door opens onto a small front courtyard paved in large ceramic tiles. Expansive glazing stretches across the ground floor elevations, giving view through the interior to the rear garden beyond. Part of the courtyard is sheltered due to the first storey of the house cantilevering outwards, creating a small canopy complete with skylight.
During the design process, Mailen Design worked closely with an arboriculturalist to assess and protect the two mature trees near the site, underscoring the studio’s commitment to minimising the scheme’s environmental impact by prioritising the existing natural landscape. This collaboration influenced key design decisions, including the layout and foundations of the house, to ensure that the trees' root systems remained undisturbed. The front courtyard’s design thoughtfully recesses, leaving ample space for the branches of a mature lime tree in the adjoining garden, which backs onto Lee Terrace.
Internally, a series of wonderfully bright living spaces feature a tactile palette of exposed concrete and oak joinery. Entering the home, the stone paving from the courtyard flows inside forming the interior entryway. A large rooflight punctuates the exposed concrete ceiling to draw in natural light
from above. Ahead, a wall of oak joinery conceals a bathroom utility room.
A single step leads down into an open plan kitchen, dining and living space where floor to ceiling glazing spanning the rear elevation allows the garden to serve as a backdrop. The dining area sits between the front entrance and a U-shaped kitchen with marble worktops and extensive cabinetry in dark forest green. Exposed concrete continues to run overhead and along sections of wall, creating a cool contrast to the herringbone parquet flooring underfoot, whilst a second long rooflight draws in even more light. With much of the ground floor composed of glazing, what is outside forms an integral part of the interior experience, natural views of the sky and garden foliage filter in through rooflights and windows, intentionally creating a continuous dialogue with the natural landscape.
A large sliding door opens onto a tiered garden where a patio paved in the same ceramic tiles as the courtyard and entryway hugs the rear elevation. A built-in seating area lies beneath a stone wall and between two sets of patio steps, respectively leading up to a larger paved section and a turfed area which encircles a mature poplar tree.
Shielded from overlooking neighbouring properties, the patio feels intimate and private - an attribute not commonly associated with end-of-plot mews-style houses. Designed as a versatile space, the patio offers sanctuary for family life while extending the indoor entertainment area, fostering seamless indoor-outdoor living.
Inside, an oak staircase ascends to the first floor, featuring two bedrooms and family bathroom, the walls transitioning from exposed concrete to white painted plaster. A balustrade of bespoke joinery floats along the stairwell. A second oak staircase detailed with shadow gap skirting leads up to the master bedroom with walk-in wardrobe and en-suite bathroom.
As an avid advocate for integrating sustainability into projects from their inception, Mailen Design’s Lee Terrace is a highly efficient new family home that reuses a once-dilapidated brownfield site. Serving as a benchmark for the area, the project exemplifies high-quality, sustainable architecture that aligns with local sustainability goals. An air-source heat pump, directly connected to a ground-floor service cupboard, provides an efficient system for heating the house’s water. In addition to high levels of air-tightness and insulation, the home incorporates carefully positioned glazing and efficient ventilation to minimise energy demands on the building.
Lee Terrace is an elegant and warm family home that responds to the historical context of the neighbourhood and wider Blackheath conservation area. Hidden behind the extended garden wall, is a secret chic and sophisticated interior, a composition of raw and organic materials, modern design and an abundance of natural light.
