Passivhaus retrofit · Private residence · North London

For a Victorian villa in north London retrofitted to the Passivhaus standard, the clients wanted finishes as environmentally honest as the building itself, so the paint came from the back garden. We spent the first weeks straining, sieving and washing the excavated earth into a true clay paint, adding natural pigments where stronger colours were wanted. Timbers were coloured and inked, waxed and polished; the floors were given a natural soap finish. The project was featured in Premier Construction magazine and was a RIBA London Award nominee. The oldest finish in the world, serving the newest standard in building.

Clay paint and bare timber in the kitchen and dining room.

A bedroom in soft clay tones, the boards soap-finished.