Theatrical Calm in East Dulwich: Inside a London Terrace Reimagined as a Hyper-Real Sanctuary
A London Terrace Transformed Into a Living Stage
The Druid Grove House in East Dulwich, designed by architecture & ideas studio CAN, reimagines the familiar London terraced home as a hyper-real natural sanctuary. Created for a visual artist, the project extends and refurbishes a three-bedroom residence into a layered, immersive environment that exists somewhere between a domestic retreat and a theatrical stage set.Drawing from non-architectural references such as surreal landscapes, industrial steel forms, and floral compositions, lead architect Mat Barnes translated the client’s imaginative vision into a home that maximizes natural light while celebrating eclectic textures and bold spatial gestures. The result is a dwelling that balances intimacy with spectacle, grounding everyday life in an atmosphere that feels mystical, tactile, and deeply personal.
Reconfiguring Space and Light on the Ground Floor
CAN’s intervention combined subtle spatial reorganization with decisive architectural moves to unlock flow and daylight across the ground floor. A central structural wall was removed, alongside a half-meter rear extension, allowing the layout to be reoriented around a newly defined central antechamber.Once a dark and underutilized dining area, this space now serves as a key threshold within the home, anchored by a bar and framed by a pair of cave-like openings. These sculpted apertures conceal sliding pocket doors and introduce the rough-cast textures of the kitchen and dining area beyond. Visual continuity is maintained through careful contrast: the front living room is finished entirely in creamy white, set against oiled Douglas fir plywood floor panels that bring warmth and tactility to the space.
A Sculptural Kitchen as the Heart of the Home
Previously confined to a dim outrigger, the kitchen has been transformed into an open, highly customized environment centered on a four-meter-long meandering stainless steel island. Designed as both functional workspace and sculptural object, the island integrates hobs and a fully welded sink for a seamless, reflective finish.Constructed in two sections and craned through the living room window for installation, the island becomes a focal point within the home. Adjacent to it, a new pantry combines bespoke detailing with existing systems: IKEA components are wrapped in Douglas fir plywood and stained with a warm, burnt-orange linseed oil. Overhead, timber trusses evoke exaggerated natural forms, imagined as growing tendrils, stained pale green and hand-cut on site to reinforce the project’s crafted, organic sensibility.
Material Play and Retreat Above
The upper levels continue the project’s rich material language and conceptual playfulness. An alternate-thread staircase connects the main bedroom to a retained mezzanine, where a standalone bathtub sits beneath the eaves, creating a private and contemplative retreat within the home.A shower room introduces another striking material gesture: a green terrazzo wall panel with intentionally broken edges. This deliberate imperfection echoes the organic motifs found throughout the house, reinforcing the sense that the architecture has been shaped rather than simply constructed.
A Garden Anchored by Myth and Stone
In the garden, the architectural narrative culminates in an imaginative privacy device: a single monumental standing stone, or menhir. Selected by the client and architect in Cornwall and craned carefully over the house, the stone acts as both physical boundary and symbolic anchor.This ancient element reinforces the home’s elemental character, lending a sense of protection, permanence, and quiet drama. Together, architecture and landscape form a cohesive whole—one that transforms a traditional London terrace into a deeply expressive and theatrical domestic sanctuary.
