Words Dominic Lutyens
Photography French + Tye

The couple went to countless auctions in search for a suitable plot of land. Eventually, at one sale, a plot on the border of Islington and Newington Green failed to reach the reserve price and the couple felt compelled to investigate it. They soon bought the site (formally occupied by Mildmay Park dairy) and dreamt up a radically modern house.

The house would reflect Leonie's approach to contemporary design and her feminist values. Crucially, Leonie resolved to place her bedroom, bathroom and study at the physical heart of the home, rather than the kitchen. The transparency of this extensively glazed, uncompromisingly modern house also expressed the owner’s desire to engage with the local community. Its chamfered zinc roof also harvested rainwater. Yet this wasn’t to be an overly worthy exercise: the house’s outdoor spaces were intended for partying, sunbathing (weather permitting) – and for poring over such cherished books as anthropologist and cultural theorist Mary Douglas’s 1966 'Purity and Danger', a critique of Western assumptions about pollution and hygiene.

Here Leonie raised her two daughters as a single mother in this progressive neighbourhood. A contemporary design fan, her three-storey new-build housed her burgeoning collection of cutting-edge Ron Arad, Tom Dixon and Marc Newson furniture. As the house comes to market for the first time, the fearless Leonie recounts the backstory of her delightfully idiosyncratic home and reveals why she feels the time is right to embark on her next venture – namely to design and build another, possibly even more radically modern house.

Leonie Milliner: “Philip and I bought the site in Mildmay Grove South in 1998 after graduating from architecture school. It was my childhood ambition to build my own house, and obtaining planning permission for a bold new build was surprisingly straightforward. The council were forward-thinking, and embraced the idea. The house took just over two years to build.

“Positive changes were happening in the area, with a makeover of Newington Green, whose focal point now is Maggie Hambling’s statue of Mary Wollstonecraft, author of 'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman', once a local resident. Mildmay Grove takes its name from Lord Mildmay who once lived in a house by Newington Green, a particularly historic area. It was also the birthplace of the 17th-century English Dissenters, who opposed state control over people’s religious beliefs.

“I brought up my daughters, Beatrice and Evelyn, here and it has been a very happy, fun-filled family home for the three of us. There’s a real sense of community here; it’s brilliant for families. Beatrice has graduated in economics and now works at the Bank of England, and Evelyn is at university. I wanted to contribute something different, positive to my neighbourhood with the house. It bookends a terrace of Victorian houses. I’d have liked to have called it The Glass House but apparently London houses have to be numbered because fire and emergency services can find a house more easily that way.

“There are several patio gardens leading out of the house, some higher than others, that really connect with nature. On the lower-ground floor, there are slate tiles that continue into the adjoining terrace, blurring the boundary between indoors and out. There’s another smaller, more private outdoor space with a low deck which is perfect for taking tea on, or, in warmer weather, sunbathing.

"The house's design is rooted in feminist critical theory. It's long internal sight lines and interconnected spaces explore the idea of the female gaze, which gives agency, and the woman's role in the home. Situating the bedroom, bathroom and study - as opposed to the kitchen- at the heart of the house creates calm, indulgent, soothing spaces in which to bathe, rest and write. On the floor above are the girls' bedrooms – two joyful, light-filled spaces that seem to dance in the tree-tops – and an additional bathroom.

“The house’s north-facing facade is almost entirely glazed, and speaks of confidence, a willingness to engage with street life. Tucked behind the trees, it's inconspicuous. Its glazed façade is in a dark, recessive colour, which has the effect of setting it back from the street. The front entrance, flanked by a tallish wall, leads up to the house via a bridge with a zinc balustrade. The front boundary wall incorporates a bin store that’s practically invisible when closed, banishing unsightly wheelie bins.

“Inside the front door are stairs down to the lower-ground level where there’s the main living area, kitchen and utility room. This area is immensely cosy for supper with friends or watching TV with the kids. The slate-tiled and rubber flooring have underfloor heating. I bought my petrol-blue Ron Arad Victoria and Albert sofa for the living room as soon as I moved in. I also love my scarlet Marc Newson TV dining chairs – so-called because their backrests’ apertures resemble TV screens. The cantilevered first floor master bedroom is wrapped in a striking red wall, which winds itself around into the study, and glows invitingly when viewed at night from the upper garden.

“Like most architects, I’m obsessed with chairs. The rear top-floor bedroom – Beatrice’s – was designed specifically for my rocking white leather Tom Dixon Bird chaise. It has treetop views across the gardens and is my favourite spot to sit with a cup of coffee and relax.

“The house plays with multiple angles, resulting in dynamic, framed views of the outdoors. Projecting, cantilevered windows enhance the connection between indoors and out and add space to the interior. Some parts of the floors are glazed but strong enough to walk on, creating sightlines slicing through different levels of the house.

"The house is so versatile, and parties here are such fun. On summer evenings, with the large sliding glass doors open, we can dance the night away on the patio, or sit and gossip in a secluded spot, and on New Year's Eve, gather to watch the fireworks from multiple vantage points. Two trees – a Himalayan birch in the rear garden, and a snake-bark maple in the front terrace – were consciously chosen for their visual interest, especially for their beautiful, textured bark. They accentuate the axis which extends through the house, between the projecting zinc-clad rear study window, and the deep-set window seat in the master bedroom; windows from which each tree is glimpsed.

“While the house appears complex, I used a limited palette of materials, which helps make it cohesive: zinc on the roof and the east-facing flank wall, and for the balustrade on the bridge entrance. There are no drainpipes. The roof is a gently inverted V. Rainwater collects in the roof's central gulley and cascades down, over the kitchen roof, into a bespoke water trough, and is then funnelled through a series of underground pipes into its final crescendo; a chain-link water feature which bursts into life in a downpour. Oak balustrades soften the mainly monochromatic interior. 

“My art collection also influenced the house’s design, particularly a work by the pop artist Eduardo Paolozzi.– a limited-edition 1971 print called Bash, which references the first moon landing and advances in medicine – a treasured piece that takes pride of place on my Atlante marble and walnut sideboard, designed by Carlo Ballabio for Porada.

"The property is near north London's most fashionable eateries, with Jolene, Jumi Cheese, Cadet, Perilla, Brags and Brams and Primeur all a short walk away on Newington Green. Then there’s the patisserie Belle Epoque and Lady Mildmay pub, which does great Sunday roasts. Clissold Park is ten minutes' walk away. Near it is the reservoir and its dinghy-sailing facilities. The house is also in the catchment area for membership of the King Henry's Walk Garden which offers a year-round programme of events and a lovely landscaped garden.

"It's a huge privilege to build your own home. To be able to choreograph spaces that really work for you and your family, and through your design choices, make an active, positive contribution to your street, to your neighbourhood. After all, we all have a responsibility to deploy our skills and our energy for the benefit of others, and I'd really like to do it again. So I am selling because I would like to build another house, possibly even more radical, and what better way to leave a lasting legacy than through a home you've built yourself?"