yinjispace

INTERIOR
Nina+Co
PHOTOGRAPHY
French + Tye
EDITOR
Bingyi
Collection

In the heart of South Tottenham, a cold, leaky and uninspiring 1970s house has been radically transformed into a warm, energy-efficient family home using predominantly natural, local or recycled materials. Designed by Nina+Co with ROAR, Nina’s House is a fossil fuel-free, low-energy home for Nina and her family, rich in tactile beauty. It is a prototype for, and a hopeful step towards more natural retrofitting.

Wrapped in thick cork with soft, rounded corners, the home now stands out gently on the street — smaller than its neighbours, but full of soul. Passers-by often stop to touch the walls, struck by the texture, and conversations flow. Delivery drivers, school children, curious neighbours — all intrigued by the material, sparking moments of connection for the family with their wider community.

The exterior is wrapped in 100mm of dark expanded cork, chosen for its carbon-negative credentials, regenerative harvesting, and minimal installation build-up. Cork trees regrow their bark after harvesting, sequestering more CO₂ each time. These forests are rich ecosystems and cork harvesting is a regenerative model worth supporting. The cork cladding is expected to last 15–25 years; beyond that, a lime render can be applied over the top to refresh the appearance and seal in the insulation indefinitely.

Inside, the once-fragmented ground floor is now open and flowing, with zones for dancing, reading, and sharing meals.

Where there was once a concrete driveway, now there’s thyme underfoot and edible plants to check on each morning. A garden once bare now grows trees and food. At the heart of it all is the kitchen — a calm, luminous space with a monolithic island made from rescued London plane. Tactile, grounding, and generously sized, the island is appreciated daily; the tree lives on, honoured.

Custom joinery was designed by Nina and fabricated ultra-locally by Craftworks Productions using UK-made tri-ply board from British Douglas Fir. The kitchen island was crafted from a London plane tree that fell in Soho Square and was rescued from being chipped and burned by Fallen & Felled. A Smile recycled plastic countertop adds contrast and practicality around the sink. Timber offcuts were kept and used by the family to build more storage around the house.

It’s a full-time family home and workplace, full of purpose and feeling — with a technical backbone that quietly hums beneath the natural finishes. A place to live lightly, yet fully.

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