Architect Peter Morris has completed a striking new residential project in Gospel Oak, North London, introducing a bold and unexpected splash of color to a traditional streetscape dominated by grey brick buildings. Titled The Cloud House, the project spans two adjoining three-story homes united by a singular, eye-catching facade defined by enormous arches, scalloped rooflines, and vibrant turquoise-framed windows.
Hovering stylistically somewhere between a Gothic church and a classic Miami beachfront hotel, the building injects a whimsical and highly unconventional silhouette into the neighborhood. Yet, despite its playful aesthetic, the project is deeply rooted in its immediate urban context. The architectural references driving the design are surprisingly local, drawing heavily from the surrounding area’s eclectic mix of historical architecture.
Directly opposite the new build stands the Grade I-listed St Martin’s Church, whose elaborate historical arches Morris closely studied, subsequently enlarging and simplifying them to form the defining structural feature of the Cloud House. Just a short distance away, St Martin’s Hall houses a French school behind a striking stone facade that closely resembles a medieval castle. For Morris, these eccentric and historic neighbors provided the ideal setting for a residential development that was willing to take a few creative liberties of its own, breaking away from the monotonous palette typically found in standard London residential architecture.
Miami Art Deco Meets London’s Gothic Architecture
While the structural proportions and grand arched motifs pay homage to local ecclesiastical and medieval influences, the vibrant color palette stems from an entirely different geography. Architect Peter Morris and his wife, television producer Emily Kennedy, drew their primary aesthetic inspiration from a honeymoon trip to Miami, where the sun-drenched, pastel-hued Art Deco buildings left a lasting impression on the couple.
This transatlantic design fusion is expressed through pale pink render that completely wraps the exterior of the structure, contrasted sharply by duck-egg blue metalwork that outlines the tall, graceful windows and perimeter gates. The large-scale arches repeat rhythmically across the elevations at varying heights, breaking up the vertical massing and giving the three-story building its distinctive, cloud-like profile against the London sky.
Despite its visually complex and sculptural appearance, the construction methodology behind the Cloud House is surprisingly conventional and pragmatic. The building relies on a robust structural steel and blockwork framework to ensure stability and compliance with modern building regulations. However, the decorative arches that define the exterior are constructed from dense, recyclable polystyrene supplied by specialist manufacturer Build-Lite.
These lightweight architectural components were precision-shaped into exaggerated, sweeping curves before being finished with a durable waterproof coating and a textured pink render. Morris took a remarkably hands-on approach during the construction phase, personally positioning the sculptural elements on-site to ensure the exact geometry and alignment of the facade were executed to perfection.
Striped Ceilings and Turquoise Floors Fill the Interiors
Stepping inside, the interior architecture matches the vibrant personality of the exterior. The more colorful of the two residences serves as the home for Morris, Kennedy, and their family. Spanning 133 square meters of carefully planned living space, the home immediately opens into a generous shared living and kitchen area. This central space is anchored by pale turquoise epoxy flooring, complemented by playful pink-and-white marquee stripes painted across the ceilings, and a dramatic emerald green kitchen.
The kitchen features green-and-white striped custom cabinetry crafted by Plykea, which neatly surrounds a striking three-meter-long pale pink kitchen island. This bold appetite for saturated color and geometric pattern continues seamlessly into the home’s bathrooms, where painted arches and rounded interior doorways deliberately echo the exterior’s architectural vocabulary.
The private quarters are arranged thoughtfully across the layout. The bedrooms occupy the two upper floors of the family home, while a dedicated home office is positioned toward the front of the ground level to maintain a connection to the street. Overhead, a four-meter-long turquoise skylight cuts through the roof structure, flooding the upper levels with natural daylight and opening directly onto a private roof terrace. Enclosed by matching pink scalloped walls, this rooftop oasis even features an outdoor bathtub, offering the residents a unique spot to relax while looking out over the rooftops of Gospel Oak.
Right next door, the second residence offers a slightly larger footprint of 165 square meters, though it follows an inverted spatial arrangement. This larger home places its bedrooms on the lower levels, shifting the primary living areas up to the top floor. Here, occupants enjoy vaulted, barrel-shaped ceilings and direct access to an additional private terrace. Unlike the fully customized family residence, the interiors of this second home have been deliberately left open and minimal, allowing the neighboring owners the flexibility to personalize the space to their own tastes and requirements.
A Deeply Personal Self-Build by Peter Morris
Bringing the Cloud House to life was a monumental undertaking that spanned nearly a decade. The lengthy timeline included five intensive years of navigating the complex planning permission process with the Camden Council, as local authorities carefully evaluated the proposal’s impact on the historic character of the surrounding area. The two modern residences were developed collaboratively by their separate owners, completely replacing an older, deteriorating Victorian property that previously occupied the site.
For Morris and Kennedy, the completion of their home marks the successful conclusion of a long-running family project that reflects a career-long fascination with postmodern design. Operating as both an architect and an artist, Morris has long championed architectural expressions that challenge convention, reject rigid functionalism, and embrace joy.
The resulting building stands as a testament to perseverance in residential design, proving that contemporary infill projects can successfully bridge distant global influences with local historical context. By merging the ecclesiastical weight of North London’s Gothic landmarks with the breezy, pastel optimism of Miami Art Deco, the Cloud House has permanently transformed its Gospel Oak streetscape, offering a vibrant new model for urban residential architecture in the British capital.
