Johan Hybschmann, co-founder of architect Archmongers, reveals how the firm used sliding doors, Staffordshire red quarry tiles and I Colori matt bathroom tiles at its Elemental House in Hackney
Double MXL sliding doors by Maxlight
Thin-frame aluminium sliding doors were used in the rear extension of Elemental House, a 1970s home in Hackney. The design employs a simple palette of materials inspired by the original house, including brick, galvanised steel, cast concrete, and timber. A new concrete extension, cast in-situ at the rear of the property, opens up the house laterally, creating a more generous kitchen and dining space at lower level. The natural silver anodised finish and refined slim frames of the Maxlight sliding doors worked perfectly with the materials palette.
Staffordshire red quarry tiles by Ketley Brick
The interior is characterised by a palette of brown brick, whitewashed walls, and naturally finished timber with pops of red in the exposed steel, which is complemented by terracotta tiles throughout the ground floor. These 215mm by 102.5mm tiles are classic and robust, giving a hard-wearing, slip-resistant surface which is also suitable for exterior use. The terracotta floor tiles extend to form an outdoor dining terrace, creating a seamless transition from inside to outside. Together, the insulated slab and thermal mass of the quarry tiles work well with the underfloor heating.
I Colori matt tiles & special pieces by Domus
At Elemental House there was a compulsion for robust honest materials which dictated that the design should avoid disappointing plastic or aluminium trims to the edges of the tiling. We dealt with this in the bathroom by making a grid of white matt tiles that had special quarter round tiles on all edges and corners. Six types of specials were used here – internal and external shell, internal and external footplate, and internal and external channel. The tiling is painstaking and labour-intensive to lay but results in a lovely, refined but utilitarian surface.