Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

A Rare London Midcentury Bursting With Brilliant Color Pops Up

A Rare London Midcentury Bursting With Brilliant Color Pops Up

The 1979 courtyard home beams with bright hues after a playful revamp by Studio MacLean.

In South London, just between Camberwell Grove and Grove Lane, sits a hidden architectural gem. Positioned amidst a row of light-colored brick garages, the single-story dwelling was designed in 1979 by British architect Martin Crowley to serve as his family residence.



The home was designed in 1979 by British architect Martin Crowley, and planning permissions stipulated that the home had to blend into the neighborhood. Thus, Crowley positioned the single-story structure discreetly behind a modest wood-clad exterior sandwiched between garages. Today, a brightly painted door offers a glimpse of the cheerful hues found inside.

"It was the first home that the architect had built for himself," says Jason MacLean, who owns the abode with his partner, Jenny. "Everything about it is clever-the materials, the layout, the position." The couple-who are also the creative duo behind Studio MacLean-purchased the property in 2006.

As avid fans of midcentury architecture, particularly the Eames House in L.A., Jason and Jenny were sold as soon as they laid eyes on the courtyard residence. "It felt like the closest thing to the Eames House that we could get in London," notes Jason.



Designed around two courtyards, the home is arranged to track the sun throughout the day, ushering an abundance of light into the interior spaces. The main entrance looks out onto a west-facing walled garden.

"The moment we stepped through the front door, we knew this was it-and we’ve felt the same ever since. I still get that same feeling when I step into the house. It’s like having a bit of California in Camberwell," he continues.



Original details can be found throughout, including the terra-cotta tiles lining the floors.

While the duo gave the home to a quick makeover-including a new kitchen-when they first moved in, it wasn't until last year that they treated it to a complete structural and aesthetic restoration.

"We felt the time was right to do everything we’d ever wanted to do to the house," Jason explains in a recent interview. "Almost everything inside it is now bespoke, including the bright yellow kitchen that we designed. We work with fashion and interiors studio Eley Kishimoto on a lot of our projects, and the kitchen units are clad in a one-off pattern by them called ‘Sun Loving Bollards.’ The color just suits the house so much."



A look into the home from the east-facing garden, which is partially shaded by mature bamboo.

As with the brightly painted kitchen, the rest of the interior features a vibrant palette of primary colors, which enhance original details, such as the terra-cotta tile and bare block and brick, without detracting from the structure’s strong geometric lines.

"It’s a brilliant family home," notes Jason. "You enter into the courtyard, which is bordered by the open-plan living space and one of the three bedrooms, through a really normal looking gate with an orange door in it. Even people who have lived in the immediate area for 30 years haven’t realized there is a house here. It’s just in its own little world, and there’s a real calmness to it."



The original steel frame and concrete patio in the garden create an eclectic, private gathering space that blurs the lines between inside and out-a hallmark of midcentury design.

After living in the property for nearly 15 years, Jason, Jenny, and their son Stanley, are relocating to the area where Jenny is originally from-and are thus seeking a new buyer for the home. "I will miss everything about this house. I want someone to have the same experience we have had and love it as much as we have," says Jason. "It is going to be the biggest wrench of our lives selling it, but we’re onto a new chapter and we’re starting to get excited about it now." Keep scrolling to see more of the property, currently listed for £1,095,000.



A cozy dining area awaits on the other side of the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.



The home offers three bedrooms, one of which is located steps from the kitchen and has direct access to the entrance courtyard.



A view from the bedroom looking out to the courtyard.



The bathroom sports a cheerful shade of blue that pops against the white walls and floor tiles.



A peek at another one of the bedrooms, which features ample built-in storage and overlooks the gardens. The bright accent wall adds a playful touch to the neutral material palette.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×