esigner James Shaw had been looking for a spot to build a house in London for a while when, in 2017, he came across an overgrown plot near his flat in east London. Fast forward five years and the 60 sq m parcel has become home to him and his partner. Designed in collaboration with architect friend Nicholas Ashby, the house develops over two floors (with the living area taking over the basement, and a bedroom on the ground floor) accessed from a courtyard facing a quiet street. ‘The
