Illustrating how organic materials and sustainable building techniques can work together to create a des res, this London house is cool on all fronts
KITCHEN
Lime plaster walls are an eco choice and have a characterful patina.
DINING AREA
This light-filled space is in an extension built using Douglas fir from viable forests in Wales.
COURTYARD
Extra light is pulled into both the living room and kitchen thanks to this ingenious design idea, which also gives the couple another outdoor space.
What a relief that the idea of ‘sustainability’ is no longer immediately associated with build-your-ownyurt-type housing and is now seen as the buzzword
For future-proofing our homes and, increasingly, making them beautiful too. Sharon Lee and Lucas Dussurget’s renovation of a neglected Victorian house in southeast London is an exciting example of how building well with green materials and techniques can create a home with longevity. ‘We love it because it shows that eco can be about cool, contemporary design – not earnest or dull!’ says Sharon. She and Lucas chose architects Emma and Ross Perkin of Emil Eve Architects because, ‘they got that we were not just asking them to design a house, we were asking them to help us create our home,’ says Sharon.
The couple – she grew up in Hong Kong, was previously in the film business and is now a trainee psychotherapist, while he grew up in Toulouse, France, and is an IT exec – had a pretty good idea of what they wanted. They had lived in the house, ‘getting to know it, seeing how the light travels’, before making changes. Their brief to Emil Eve was for ‘a generous entertaining space, lots of storage, natural light, two sinks in the en-suite bathroom – and somewhere to hide the cat’s litter tray!’ (More on this later.)
The aim was to open up the house while still keeping the feeling of distinct, separate spaces each with its own identity. The living room, created from two receptions knocked into one, is cosy with comfy seating, a log burner and a family piano. It leads to a small outside area, inspired by the traditional Chinese courtyards Sharon admired growing up, which in turn connects to the more contemporary open-plan kitchen-diner where pancake brunches and boozy evenings take place. ‘We’re total foodies,’ says Sharon. ‘We love to cook and to e
