David Adjaye’s seminal Lost House is for sale

Lost House, Central London

While he has designed a number of private homes, it’s seldom that a David Adjaye-designed home hits the market. His King’s Cross project, Lost House, is among the rare few that have changed hands since being constructed, and this 2004 property occupies what was originally an alleyway in the neighbourhood.

Like a jewellery box, it hides its contents from prying eyes through the use of a modest brick facade that has one external window. The main interior volume is illuminated by three light wells that run the length of the space, diffusing natural light throughout its inky black interior. A number of internal courtyards bring a sense of the outdoors in, and add to the feeling that the house is a private oasis hidden from the world.

Photography: The Modern House

These days David Adjaye is working on towering skyscrapers and colossal museum projects. But he’s best-loved for his residential designs, and among them, London’s Lost House is the brightest gem.

Completed in 2004 in King’s Cross, in what was an alley, the house is a jewellery-box that hides inhabitants from prying eyes behind a modest brick facade. It has only one external window on its exterior facade. The main interior space is illuminated by three light wells that run the length of the space, diffusing natural light throughout the inky black interior.

Reflective surfaces across the combined large living room, kitchen and dining room further amplify light from the wells, and the house’s central courtyard and meditative water garden.

Upstairs are the guest bedroom and master suite, which is flanked by a lap pool.

The London property scooped a slew of awards and has featured in several magazines. It’s now on the market via Sotheby’s International Realty and The Modern House for £6.5m.