Esher House

A new build 5 bedroom family house with swimming pool in Esher, Surrey. 

The clients lived in an existing house on this dramatic, steeply sloping site but were frustrated by its challenging layout, small windows and poor relationship with the garden and beautiful surroundings. so decided to rebuild.  

The new house was designed to liberate the flat area of the garden, which had previously been consumed by the original building, and connect the entire length of the site, front to back.  The plan is linear, placed along a flank boundary, and develops a dialogue with the landscape, which slips beneath the building, allowing for spectacular long views whilst taking into account privacy between neighbours.

Social and family spaces are carefully arranged in a loose open plan on the ground floor, allowing for a variety of scales and levels of intimacy.  Full height glazing, and the continuous limestone stone floor, effortlessly connect the internal spaces with the garden, bringing outside in. 

The house is organised around a double height dinning space with a staircase to the upper floor.  The master bedroom suite is to one side with four children’s bedrooms, each with ensuite bathrooms,  on the other.  A wide corridor acts as a gallery space for the owners special collection of paintings. 

The first floor appears to ‘float’ about the ground floor and the bedrooms at both ends have uninterrupted long views into the lush tree canopies

RIBA Award Winner 2006
Winner - BD Architect of the Year Award 2005 - One-off Dwelling Category
Winner - Best Residential Design - Daily Telegraph Home Building and Renovation Award, 2005