How Unknown Works created a ‘Jurassic’ urban courtyard
‘I wanted a Jurassic garden, something you could imagine a dinosaur walking through,’ recalls Theo Games Petrohilos (pictured below), describing the ambitions he had for his home in Kentish Town, north London. It could have been a tall order for a modest ground-floor flat with neighbouring properties in close vicinity. Luckily for Petrohilos, who founded the architecture studio Unknown Works with former classmates Ben Hayes and Kaowen Ho, the space already had a wilderness feel.
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When he bought the flat back in 2017, the garden was overgrown with mature fig and bay trees. ‘It was a jungle,’ he says. ‘Because of how the apartment is situated, you couldn’t hear the street at all. It felt very private.’
Inspired by a visit to the jungle-like Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall, Petrohilos decided to keep as much of the garden’s existing planting as possible, even if that meant parts of the space would be in shade. ‘We decided to embrace both light and dark,’ the architect explains. As a result, the courtyard is surrounded by greenery on all sides. Bamboo fills in gaps at the rear, behind a tree fern sourced via Facebook Marketplace and an area of white pebbles reminiscent of Japanese stone gardens.
Ferns feature heavily in the shady areas, while the sunny spots are speckled with flowers and herbs, such as rosemary and thyme. ‘The thyme gives off a wonderful aroma that reminds me of Greece,’ says Petrohilos.
He redesigned the flat’s internal layout to enhance its connection with the courtyard and added an extension that provides space for a new kitchen and dining room. Sliding glass doors allow views across the various living spaces, while a continuous concrete floor blurs the boundary between indoors and outdoors. Other clever additions include a dining table mounted on castors, which can be easily wheeled outside on a sunny day. ‘Having that connection with trees and wildlife in our kitchen is an amazing thing,’ adds Petrohilos. ‘In London, it feels very precious,’ unknown.works.
