A striking powder blue housing development in Kent is turning heads as London-based architecture practice Office SM takes direct aim at what they call "generic suburbia." The firm has completed Goldsmith Mews, an innovative four-home infill housing block featuring blue fiber cement weatherboarding and distinctive porthole windows that give the development a unique "coastal character."
Located in the historic village of Chalk, which was famously known as a holiday and honeymoon destination for renowned author Charles Dickens, the new development sits on a site previously occupied by derelict garages. The project represents a thoughtful response to the area's architectural heritage while boldly departing from conventional modern suburban design.
Office SM deliberately chose to reference the traditional weatherboarded cottages that were typical of the area during Dickens' era, which directly informed their decision to use pale blue cladding for the contemporary block. The project's name, Goldsmith Mews, pays homage to Sarah Goldsmith, who was the first landlady of the historic Lord Nelson pub that stood near the site until the 1920s.
"The development channels both the memory of the site and the coastal character of Kent, while departing from the area's conventional brick vernacular," Office SM explained. "Kentish vernacular was exemplified by weatherboarding, which would have been present when Charles Dickens holidayed and honeymooned two doors up the road, but much of this has been lost. We wanted to bring this vernacular back in a contemporary way, referencing and acknowledging what was there, and making it the best we can do today."
The architectural design features several innovative elements that set it apart from typical suburban housing. Goldsmith Mews is fronted by an undercroft created by partially raising its first floor on pilotis. Above this, the sawtooth form of the first floor provides shading for a storage and entrance area below, complete with distinctive porthole front doors that nod to the work of French modernist Jean Prouvé.
The color scheme plays a crucial role in the building's visual impact and conceptual approach. While the upper levels feature the signature pale blue shade in both fiber cement cladding and metal roofing, the ground floor contrasts sharply with a warm "buttery yellow" finish. This same yellow appears as a horizontal band that clearly demarcates the first-floor level.
"The contemporary dusty blue and buttery yellow color palette has been carefully chosen to avoid the material being viewed as entirely traditional," Office SM stated. "It helps the roof and walls read in a cohesive way, further blurring the lines between floors and making the scale of the building indeterminate. Finally, it articulates the difference between the new development and the old suburbia, creating a clearer link to the past and also the possible future of housing."
The building's sawtooth plan serves multiple functional purposes beyond its striking appearance. This design gives the first and second-floor bedrooms of each home access to northern sunlight and distant views toward the Thames, while simultaneously minimizing overlooking issues both to and from neighboring properties. The thoughtful orientation helps maintain privacy while maximizing natural light and views.
Inside each home, the layout has been carefully designed to accommodate changing family structures and living arrangements. The kitchen and dining areas occupy the smaller ground floor of each home, where they open directly onto a row of private gardens. Above, the first-floor living areas and main bedrooms look out across these gardens through large windows, creating a strong indoor-outdoor connection.
"The layout of the homes is designed to provide as much flexibility for non-traditional family structures as possible, as intergenerational and co-habiting families grow," the studio explained. "The mews typology leads to a first-floor living room, with a third bedroom on this floor, providing the flexibility for families to have two floors of living spaces and two floors of bedrooms within a three-story home."
Office SM, founded by Stewart and Hugh McEwen in 2013, has built a reputation for using bold form and color to create striking contrasts with often suburban settings. Their recent projects include a London renovation inspired by 1950s cake advertisements, featuring a pastel palette and wrapped by a distinctive wavy garden fence. The Goldsmith Mews project continues this tradition of challenging conventional suburban architecture through thoughtful design and bold color choices.
