The Stepwell House

In London, a new home is redefined into three parts: an art gallery, residence and outdoor stepwell. Drawing on a traditional South Asian typology, the stepwell is reinterpreted as a sculptural gabion landscape that rationalises garden access, while being deliberately irrational in its formal articulation. The stepwell also serves as a central narrative device, echoing the clients’ personal heritage, and the considered collision of old and new.

The Stepwell House opens to a double-height gallery - a dramatic central volume, framed by clay-washed walls, and illuminated by a generous skylight. A transparent mesh balustrade, and perforated floor, carry daylight through to the lower gallery. Bridging the floors, a stainless-steel staircase, enclosed by mesh jalis, becomes a sculpture in its own right.

A story is woven by the consistent, contrasting use of steel mesh. Upon entrance, we see a mesh bridge and balustrade enclosing stairs. In the kitchen, mesh is used to form shelves. In the rear elevation, it layers the windows as a filter for daylight. As a conclusion, mesh is filled with stone to create the stepped gabion landscape. Where mesh is absent, its intersecting proportions can be found in the grid finish of the stained oak joinery.

The fully refurbished interiors are elevated by a curation of furniture, lighting and finishes from Max Radford Gallery, including bespoke stone tiling dotted with distinctive fossils, further grounding the presence of the past.

A contemporary collector’s home, The Stepwell House examines how both ancient and modern elements alike can be recontextualised.