case

Elemental House

details

location
London, United Kingdom
year
2025
amenities
Private residential home

background

Timeless materials, thoughtful details – a home built to last

Designed by London-based architecture studio Archmongers, Elemental House is a personal renovation project for Johan Hybschmann and his wife. Located in Hackney, the 1970s split-level house has been transformed into a calm and robust family home, balancing energy efficiency with a well-considered selection of materials.

Built as a testbed for the studio’s values, the project explores new, simpler ways of building that respect the integrity of each material and minimise long-term maintenance. A mix of softwood joinery, concrete and galvanised steel meets exposed brick and considered fittings – creating a tactile and durable interior that will evolve beautifully over time.

“We made sure to use as few different materials as possible. It was important to us to blend into the context and work with the existing elements of the house,” explains Hybschmann. “All surfaces and fittings were chosen to stay in place indefinitely – to grow with the life of the house.”

At the heart of this approach is a deep appreciation for quality design – and a belief in specifying once, and well. In this spirit, hardware from d line was used throughout the home, from levers to door stops and beyond.

“It’s quite simple, really,” says Hybschmann. “d line has a range of products that have been designed with an extraordinary amount of merit, and they are manufactured beautifully with the intention to last indefinitely. We never question why each object looks the way it does; we just accept it. That’s the success of the design – it will fit into any context.”

This belief in timelessness is not abstract. It’s lived by. For Elemental House, the couple brought their Arne Jacobsen lever handles from their previous home – installing them once again, while replacing the originals with identical new ones.

Photography by Halima Mason

The serene dining area

Details from the entrance and kitchen

The AJ97 lever handle and toilet indicator in brass

Details from the living room

“I personally think the Arne Jacobsen handle is one of the three best handles ever made,” Hybschmann continues. “It fits with any interior and will always be relevant. Our handles carry our wear and tear on them – like some of our beloved chairs – and we see this as part of our home. They’re just great objects.”

Through its careful use of materials, low-impact interventions and insistence on longevity over trends, Elemental House represents a quiet kind of sustainability. One that doesn’t shout but endures. A home to live in and live with for many years to come.

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Elemental House

Timeless materials, thoughtful details – a home built to last

Lever handle AJ97, small - brass

Toilet indicator - brass

Lever handle - brass