House Graylings

 A Japanese-inspired house with an innovative 'upside-down' design 

Home story Assembly


House Graylings

David and Susan wanted a country retreat that exudes a sense of luxury while offering tranquil spaces for contemplation. House Graylings is a Japanese-inspired contemporary home with wonderful views of the Surrey Hills.

House Graylings is built into the slope as an “upside-down” house with the sleeping areas on the lower floor. Seen from above, it has an “H” shape, with three interlinked structures: a two-story West Wing, an East Wing accommodating the master bedroom with ensuite bathroom and dressing room, and a single-level, fully glazed hallway and lounge linking the two. A double-height, open-plan kitchen and living area takes up the entire first floor of the main wing. While the two wings have pitched roofs with solar panels, the middle section has a flat, green roof designed to create a habitat for insects and promote biodiversity. The clients both like Japanese architecture with its clean aesthetics and merging of inside and outside spaces.This is reflected throughout the house, for example in the striking murals of Koi fish in the interlinking volume of the building and in the water feature on the outdoor terrace.

The house is built on around 1.2 acres of steeply sloping land in Surrey near London. The individual elements of the house were manufactured in Germany and transported, securely packed, on flat-bed trucks to the UK. Assembly itself took just four days. David and Susan were able to watch their new home being put together, piece by piece, in front of their very eyes.

Discover House Graylings

In the following gallery, you can see the house being assembled.