Architect Peter Morris reveals his most remarkable achievement to date: ‘The Cloud House’. The building in Gospel Oak first hit national headlines because of its bold design. Drawing inspiration from the eccentric, Grade I-listed St Martin's Church opposite, and the castle-like Grade II-listed school next door, the property brings a touch of fairytale flamboyance to its north London surroundings.
Now complete, its pale-pink exteriors, oversized arches, and duck-egg blue metalwork bring joyfulness and colour to the eclectic local architecture, with an interior featuring pale turquoise painted epoxy floors, pink and white marquee stripes on walls and ceilings, and an emerald green and white striped kitchen with pale pink Plykea worktops.
The Cloud House is not a single residence but a pair of architecturally unified semi-detached homes, realised through an extraordinary collaboration between two private owners. After Peter Morris and his wife Emily Kennedy secured planning permission in 2020 to replace the dilapidated Victorian house on the site, the only viable way to realise the project was to find someone willing to buy half the plot before construction began and then build alongside them as a fellow self-builder, sharing the same architect, contractor and an agreement on the external design.
Against the odds, they found a buyer who embraced Peter’s vision and purchased the plot for the larger, four-bedroom No. 20. Her commitment made the entire project possible. The two households subsequently embarked on the build together, while independently funding and shaping their respective homes: the 165 sq m No. 20 and Morris and Kennedy’s 133 sq m No. 20A.
“The Cloud House is a colourful, joyful place, but it is also a statement about what residential architecture can be.”
The architectural language responds directly to its setting. St Martin’s Church, designed by Edward Buckton Lamb and built between 1864 and 1866, is known for its highly individual neo-Gothic character. Nikolaus Pevsner described it as “the craziest of London’s Victorian churches”.
Rather than imitate the church, Morris has simplified and modernised one of its most recognisable features, the arch, and made that a motif in The Cloud House’s design. Sweeping arches cover the building and define its facade, while the pale pink and duck-egg blue palette draw partly on the Art Deco architecture Peter and Emily encountered during their honeymoon in Miami.
The arches on the exterior – every one of which was applied by hand by Peter himself – are formed from Build-Lite recyclable polystyrene-based components, finished with pale pink render and attached to a steel and blockwork structure.
“The Cloud House feels like an embodiment of New London Fabulous: colourful, optimistic and unafraid of ornament or personality. Perhaps this is the moment to revive that spirit and remind ourselves that serious architecture can also be joyful.”
The Cloud House follows Peter Morris Architects’ Minty House in West Hampstead, completed in 2024. That project transformed a Victorian home with a curved-glass extension and mint-green finish, and was covered by the RIBA Journal, ArchDaily, Archinect and Livingetc. Both projects explore the use of colour, curved forms and unexpected architectural interventions within familiar London streetscapes.
Morris says of his practice...“I want to create joyful homes for interesting people. Every client brings their own memories, passions and stories, and I think the most rewarding architecture finds a way to make those personal narratives part of the building.”
The Cloud House has previously attracted coverage from Dezeen, The Architects’ Journal, London Evening Standard, Building Design and e-architect. The completed house will feature on Grand Designs on Channel 4 on 23rd September 2026 and was included in the 2026 Open House Festival.
Team:
Architects: Peter Morris
Builder: BK Construction London
Structural Engineer: RSA Design
Drainage Design: Nimbus Engineering
Photographer: Juliet Murphy
Materials Used:
Windows, glazed doors, and front door Mumford & Wood
Rooflights Glazing Vision
Roof hatch Surespan
Roof hatch installation Sky-Lights Solutions
Crane Morgans Lifting Services
Front gate, fence and metalwork cupboards Zedworks
MVHR system Apex Ventilations
ASHP system Elite Renewables
Fire alarms ON Electrical & Fire Alarm Services
Stone-Coat arches for exterior Build-Lite h
Green and white kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts & pink worktop, plinths and cover panels Plykea
Yellow ceramic ceiling lights and green ceramic wall lights La Redoute
Pink shower doors and Parvos bath West One Bathrooms
Showers Hansel Stone
Yellow taps, yellow shower heads, red tap, and blue shower hoses
Pink and turquoise pedestal bathroom basins The Remarkable Toilet Company
Blue paint for downstairs loo Yes Colours
Black and white striped cupboard doors Ikea (discontinued)
Fluted rooftop bath Bathroom Mountain
Black and white striped decking Dino Decking
Red blue and yellow kitchen tap Light In The Box
Plaster balls cornicing British Mouldings h
Bedroom blinds Bottom Up Blinds
Pale turquoise epoxy floor paint Sphere8
Fluted basin in downstairs loo Victorian Plumbing
Yellow door handles Ironmongery Direct
