The Norwegian-born artist Anne Katrine Dolven commissioned the architects 51% Studios (now 51 Architecture) to carry out an extension to the existing Victorian Villa, which was built in 1860. The architects refer to the project as “a lightweight timber tower on an asymmetric steel stiletto”.

An article in Grand Designs describes it as follows:

“The plan was for a solid wood tower at the back, which would stick out 56cm from the side of the house, with a slot window filling in this gap from top to bottom so that every room had a view of the London plane tree at the front. The tower would house the new kitchen, a study and a spacious, glass-roofed bathroom.

“Having a space to cook and entertain in was always central to the project… the new area extends from the back room of the original house, and then tucks off to the side, making an L-shape at the end. The cooking area was originally planned for the tucked-away corner, but Anne Katrine decided to put it in a more central location along the main wall, between the garden outside and her fantastic hand-made dining table – which acts as a bridge between the old and new spaces, stretching 3.5 metres in length across both.

“Not that all the socialising happens there. Upstairs the bathroom is more than just a room in which to groom. A small-scale bench in the shower room means you can sit while you shower, and on a clear night you can watch the moon traverse the sky through the glazed roof, from the comfort of a hammock.

“New-builds always run the risk of being sterile, but this house is the opposite. It’s a place for late-night stargazing and leisurely late-afternoon lunches, with generous amounts of natural light and windows strategically placed to frame the natural surroundings.”

The house has also featured in the magazine Homebuilding & Renovating:

“If there were a prize for best bathroom, [this] home in Hackney would easily win it. It’s rare that one finds a bathroom that multitasks, but Anne Katrine’s not only combines a magnificently stylish bathing area, but also has a space for exercising – complete with dumbbells – and hooks from which she can string a hammock to gaze up at the ever-changing sky through the room’s glazed roof.

“This fabulous creation almost did not happen at all. After all, Anne Katrine… simply wanted to reorder the space in the basement kitchen. ‘We asked an architect from 51% Studios if he could design something for us. He was sitting in the back garden and he made a sketch of a tower that would be hidden by the tree.’”

“The tree in question is a very regal and looming example of a London plane in the front garden, and the idea was to build a rear extension that, instead of finishing flush with the side wall, stood proud about 18 inches to one side. This narrowest of elevations would be glazed on ground and first floor level to frame the tree trunk and its upper limbs perfectly. The exterior would be clad in wood – taking its cue from the tree again – and be topped off by a sloping glass roof, quite unlike anything else in the area. It’s a stunning take on that most humdrum of projects, the rear extension…”

In 2008 the project received a prestigious RIBA Award, with the RIBA commenting as follows:

“You cannot help being mesmerised by the artist’s own touches, so a modest project becomes one of singular aesthetic consistency. The extension addresses the back garden with an area of nearly 100% glazing in the lower ground kitchen such that it feels almost like one was cooking out of doors. Above this is suspended a two-storey solid wood tower containing the more private study, entirely lined with birch plywood followed by a large bathroom which has an entire glass roof and brilliant light. Altogether a very successful building from modest but sure means.”