Scandi minimalism and 1970s flair make this the house of the year

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.

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The garage has gone and has been replaced by two frameless windows, separated by knapped flint panels.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. So totally transformational was the project that it scooped New London Architecture's headline prize at this week's Don't Move Improve Awards ceremony and was named house of the year 2025.

Other prize winners included a budget DIY extension in Forest Hill, which took the cost effective prize. Best kitchen went to a basement excavation in Camden with a double-height glazed extension, by Studio Ben Allen, while a house made of cork won the environmental award.

The awards celebrate creative thinking that enables Londoners to make the best of their home and stay in the capital.

Architect Hybschmann and his wife Anita Freeman were living five streets away when they spotted the house. "We had only just finished renovating our flat but we love 1970s properties," says Hybschmann. "They are much easier to alter than Victorian homes," he adds.