Tikari Works’ Pocket House in London is a successful example of design of a (relatively) small-sized home. On a site previously occupied by a domestic car garage, a footprint of less than 100 sqm proves enough to accommodate a single-family house, featuring cleverly laid out spaces and well-thought-out aesthetics.
Here as in many other circumstances, Nicola and Ty Tikari embody three roles simultaneously: they act as clients, architects and main contractors, in accordance with their aim to reconnect their profession to the actual building practice.
London. A contemporary house in a Victorian neighborhood
The small triplex designed by Tikari Works investigates the different degrees of privacy and openness of a domestic space.

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- Alessandro Benetti
- 23 November 2018
- London, United Kingdom
- Tikari Works
- 100 sqm
- single-family house
- 2018
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, London, United Kingdom, 2018. Photo © Edmund Sumner
Tikari Works, Pocket House, basement plan
Tikari Works, Pocket House, ground floor plan
Tikari Works, Pocket House, first floor plan
Tikari Works, Pocket House, section
The sleeping area, which a sliding partition might eventually subdivide into two separate bedrooms, is located in the basement. This placement ensures the highest level of privacy, while a small underground patio provides ideal light conditions to the entire floor. On the ground level, the dining room, including the open kitchen and directly opening on a tiny private courtyard, is a space for gathering and welcoming guests. Thirdly, the living area on the first floor functions as an intimate nest while providing a panoramic view on the city.
Despite the low budget available, Nicola and Ty Tikari “reject traditional white plasterboard walls”, and come up with a more diverse set of finishes: on the inside, cement resin floors, exposed bricks walls and large surfaces of light wood; on the outside, the façade overlooking the public road is entirely coated with a timber screen, a clearly contemporary insertion standing out from the uniform landscape of its Victorian neighborhood.
- Pocket House
- single-family house
- London, United Kingdom
- Tikari Works
- Built Engineers
- SGA
- 100 sqm
- 2018