The Coach House, London SE14

This elegant four-bedroom house occupies the site of a former coach house on St Donatt's Road in New Cross. The building has been completely redesigned by award-winning practice Selencky Parsons, who have added a series of smart interventions. Narrow at the front, the plan unfolds out dramatically at the rear, where the open plan living spaces face a substantial private garden. Inside, the plan extends over 1,621 sq ft across three floors.



The Architects



Selencky Parsons are an award-winning architecture practice based in south-east London. Their projects span across a diverse range of sectors, scales, and settings. The practice has been short and long-listed for a number of prestigious awards and has been featured in the Architects’ Journal, RIBA Journal and Dezeen, among others.



Of the design, practice co-founder Sam Selencky remarked that "New Cross is an exciting and dynamic place, and from the outset we wanted to capture part of this spirit in our design for the project. We wanted to give the house an understated yet intriguing street presence that respected the architectural rhythm of the neighbouring properties. Manipulating and maximising space and light are key."



The Tour



The front façade is characterised by three horizontal micro-cement bands (a signature of Selencky Parsons) which accentuate the width of the plan and complement reclaimed yellow brick, oak joinery and black, slimline window frames.



The house is approached from a gated and paved front garden. The front door opens into a bright hallway, with bespoke storage oak units and a bench, providing plenty of space for storing coats and shoes.



The plan leads to a long corridor reaches to the back of the house. An external brick wall cleverly references the front façade while emphasising the sense of flow through the house. There are elegant pendant lights overhead, and large-scale porcelain tiles underfoot.



Beyond, the plan opens out in an L-shape to accommodate an airy open-plan kitchen as well as living and dining spaces. The kitchen is fitted with modern units and a spacious island with grey quartz tops and integrated Bosch appliances. A mirrored splashback accentuates the sense of space.



The dining room is on the same level as the kitchen and has a set of slim-framed glazed doors that open out to a patio at the rear. This section of the garden is paved with the same large format tiles as the internal spaces, breaking down the boundaries between inside and out.



Selencky Parsons' cast-concrete forms delineate a sunken living space and wrap up to form a built-in shelving area on one wall. This sunken section of the plan has an intimacy and warmth, partly achieved by the engineered oak floorboards underfoot.. There is an integrated fireplace with a bio-ethanol fire and additional access to the outdoors.



A WC, a utility room and a pantry with a wine fridge complete the ground-floor plan. A beautiful oak staircase ascends to the upper floors, where a large skylight floods the plan with natural light.



A muted but colourful palette is used across all four bedrooms, scattered across the first and second floors. The primary bedroom is on the second floor and has a smart en suite shower room and views over the garden. One of the remaining bedrooms on the first floor is presently used as an office and opens onto a large adjoining terrace.



Extending from the first-floor landing is a shared bathroom. It is luxuriously finished, with black micro-cement tiles and an integrated television in the bath.



The Outdoors



A lush south-easterly rear garden was designed and landscaped by Antonia Schofield Garden Design. Extending over 82 ft in length, it encompasses two outdoor terraces and a generous lawned space. Borders are densely planted with exotic palms, ferns and tropical flowers.



There is also a terrace from the first floor of the house. Also orientated to fast south-east, it overlooks the garden and is a bright spot for outdoor dining.



There is off-street parking at the front of the house with space for one car and an electronic car charging point.



The Area



St Donatts Road is a residential road close to the heart of New Cross, a thriving area of south-east London with a growing cultural profile and a number of independent restaurants and bars. It is home to Goldsmiths University, renowned for its art and design courses.



Brockley Farmers' Market is a very popular weekly market. Running every Saturday, it features a wide range of organic traders and food trucks. Deptford Market is a 15-minute walk from the house and has been joined in recent years by a new wave of establishments including Buster Mantis, a local bar renowned for its jazz nights; Forest, for all houseplant related needs and Marcella, sister restaurant to Artusi in Peckham, for excellent homemade pasta and seasonal Italian cuisine. The wider area hosts a range of restaurants; Kudu offers contemporary South African cooking, Dinner for 100 pizzeria has a sunny terrace, and Joyce has a wide range of wines by the glass.



South East London is known for its density of leafy, green spaces; Luxmore park, Telegraph Hill, and Hilly Fields are all within a 15-minute walk.



New Cross station is a short 10-minute walk from the house and runs direct Overground services to Shoreditch, Dalston and Highbury and Islington. National Rail services also run regularly, arriving at London Bridge in less than 10 minutes. There is easy access by car to the M3 and M25.



Council Tax Band: E