Film Tom Sandford

Editor David Potter

Photography French + Tye

Words Hannah Nixon

Their home, which they share with their son Luca, is in a part of Hackney they know and love. Anita was the first to find it; she saw the brick terrace come up for sale and took a solo trip to view it, despite Johan’s hesitation. (They’d only recently finished work on their previous flat.) The opportunity to gain a garden and another bedroom beckoned and soon the house was undergoing a back-to-brick renovation.

“The way this has been planned by Johan, the layout makes such good use of the space that’s here and is so economical with it, that we can still feel connected to each other, whilst having some separation,” says Anita, who works in paediatric clinical psychology.

Knitting themselves into the community was fundamental to the success of the move. Behind the house is a shared walkway that connects the other houses on the terrace. It’s become a magnet for the kids who live here. “The community garden and walkway was left unmanaged, ” Anita recalls. “I was able to get hold of an authority from the council to start planting and build a community garden. We now hold monthly events there.” “It’s a gift to be among so many cultures and social diversities,” Johan adds. “I think it’s a gift for Luca.” Their “grown up” garden now includes a small pond that extends that sense of community to Hackney’s resident wildlife.

Inside, the bones of the building have been revealed and the “scars” of the renovation left visible. For Johan, perfection in architecture is an unhelpful illusion: “Having perfectly made things up against things that aren’t necessarily perfect is the way to balance those things,” he explains, alluding to the juxtaposition of their sleek stainless-steel kitchen with the exposed brick walls that have been treated with vandskuring, which entails rendering the brick and washing off the render – a Danish technique that visually ties the old with the new. “The things that take a lot of traffic need to be indestructible’”, says Johan’s of the hardwearing Staffordshire red quarry tiles which begin at the front door and stretch seamlessly out into the garden.

The duo share a deep connection to the artworks and design classics they have collected over time. Their Arne Jacobsen door handles, for example, have moved with them each time; Johan prefers to keep their personal patination with them, leaving the new homeowners with the same (only shinier) replacements. Buying for longevity is especially important: “It can be second-hand”, says Johan, “but it has to be relevant forever.”

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