There are clues outside Johan Hybschmann’s Hackney house hinting that the inside is far from ordinary. Most of the street is lined with Victorian terraces. However, halfway along, on one side only, is a stretch of 1970s houses in a dark brick, built on an old bomb site. They are split level over three floors and most have an integrated garage. Not Hybschmann’s. The garage has gone and has been replaced by two frameless windows, separated by knapped flint panels. The handrail provides a flash of red, matching the canopy above the door.
The changes to the façade are subtle, but those inside are not. The front door opens into a light-filled space which has been hollowed out. The stairs have been rebuilt and repositioned, while plasterboard walls have been removed.
