Living With Timber / EBBA

Architects: EBBA
Year: 2025
Photography: Felix Speller
Lead Architects: Benni Allan
Materials: Douglas fir, reclaimed mahogany parquet, raw plaster
Client: Benni Allan
City: London
Country: United Kingdom

The renovation of EBBA director Benni Allan’s apartment investigates the architectural potential of timber and the role of the home as a space for ongoing creative development. The project combines extensive use of Douglas fir with reclaimed elements to test material performance, longevity, and the value of reuse. Conceived as both a domestic environment and an informal display space, the interior accommodates collected objects, collaborative works, and new prototypes within an adaptable layout. An open living area conceals kitchen functions behind large joinery elements, while adjacent rooms borrow light and support a range of making activities. The overall aim is to create an interior that evolves naturally through everyday use and experimentation.

The apartment functions as an active design laboratory, offering a setting in which ideas can be tested without the constraints often imposed by project budgets or client requirements. Allan treats the home as a place where work and living intersect, allowing prototypes and collected items to circulate and shift according to changing interests. This approach gives the interior a quality that oscillates between domestic comfort and an ever-changing exhibition.

Timber defines the architectural character of the space. Douglas fir lines the walls, floors, and cabinetry, creating a unified environment that reflects the studio’s interest in material clarity and durability. The intent was to examine how a readily available and cost-effective material could be installed and finished to withstand long-term use, while still contributing warmth and refinement to the interior.

Reclaimed elements deepen the project’s experimental tone. Mahogany parquet flooring salvaged from an earlier EBBA project introduces a layer of material memory, demonstrating how discarded components can be repurposed into a new context. This strategy aligns with the studio’s broader exploration of reuse, producing a tactile contrast that enriches the home’s palette.

The main living space is organized around a substantial piece of joinery that conceals the working functions of the kitchen. Its placement resolves the sharp angle of the original building and creates generous storage, enabling the rest of the room to remain visually calm. Raw plaster walls and the consistent presence of timber establish a serene backdrop for the evolving mix of objects and furniture.

Connections between rooms are designed to sustain openness and flexibility. The main bedroom links to the kitchen through a full-height sliding door that allows borrowed light to filter through, enhancing the sense of continuity. A study accessed from the corridor serves as a workshop for ongoing material experiments, often filled with discarded components awaiting transformation.

Custom furniture and crafted objects complete the narrative of continual making. A stacked coffee table developed by the studio anchors the living space, while a bespoke Douglas fir speaker created with Friendly Pressure and Our Department introduces another layer of experimentation. Together, these elements affirm the home as a dynamic environment shaped not only by architectural decisions but by a sustained commitment to craft, inquiry, and the evolution of everyday surroundings.