Inside Scandinavian-inspired innovative home named London's House of the Year

A Scandi-tastic home in trendy Hackney has been crowned London's House of the Year for its 70s-inspired architecture. The family home, named Elemental House, came out on top in New London Architecture's Don't Move, Improve! awards, which is in its 15th year.

It encourages people to tap into their creative side by redesigning spaces rather than looking for new homes altogether, with the aim of inspiring innovation in the UK's capital. Elemental House, designed by Archmongers, has also won the Materiality and Craftsmanship Prize.

The Scandinavian-style home has been recognised as London's best home improvement project. Johan Hybschmann, a director at the architecture firm and his wife, Anita Freeman, remodelled their 1970s split house and brought the design into the 21st century by increasing the natural light.

However, the couple have also future-proofed the house for modern living, enhancing the home's energy efficiency. The property has a simple exterior, incorporating a mix of existing materials including brick, galvanised steel, cast concrete, and timber for a stripped-down look.

Elemental House has a bright library and reading space, which has a long bookshelf along with white wooden flooring and large windows to let in desired sunlight. Johan Hybschmann, a director at the architecture firm and his wife, Anita Freeman, remodelled their 1970s split house and brought the design into the 21st century. Pictured Elemental House before the renovation (left) and after (right).

The space features a chrome unit in the kitchen, terracotta-coloured floor tiles and a red staircase. Pictures of the rear garden of the house before its renovation show tired-looking 70s-style white framed windows and door with little light, however it has now been transformed to let in more sun.

Elemental House has opted for a simple, yet classic, white tiled bathroom with some slabs of marble to add dimension to the space. It also has a bright library and reading space, which has a long bookshelf along with white wooden flooring and large windows to let in desired sunlight.

This choice of flooring is prevalent upstairs, where it features in one of the children's bedrooms alongside a white bunk bed and picturesque exposed wooden beams. Although the house has undergone structural changes, Johan and Anita have kept its original vintage character.

Described by the judges as a 'gift that kept on giving', the dwelling was also praised for its 'engineering precision' and use of recycled materials. Here, FEMAIL reveals some of the other homes which were awarded this year... The space features a chrome unit in the kitchen, terracotta-coloured floor tiles and a red staircase.

The children's bedrooms has wooden flooring, a white bunk bed and picturesque exposed beams. The front area of the  Elemental House now features a wooden door and new windows. Although the house has undergone structural changes, Johan and Anita have kept its original vintage character.

Elemental House has opted for a simple, yet classic,white tiled bathroom with some slabs of marble to add dimension to the space. The Scandinavian-style home has been recognised as London's best home improvement project. Described by the judges as a 'gift that kept on giving', the dwelling was also praised for its 'engineering precision' and use of recycled materials.

Elemental House, located in east London, has topped the list for the The Don't Move, Improve! scheme, which has been running for the past 15 years. The homeowners of Hands-on Home, located in Lewisham, bagged themselves the Cost Effective Prize in this year's competition.

They took on the roles of client, designer, and contractor, giving up their weekends in order to see the project through. They extended and renovated their 1970s ground-floor flat over five years and had to balance family life all while finding a way to fund their renovation without feeling financial strain.

The colourful property has a light and airy feel to it, along with vibrant green and yellow walls and bright blue doors. The colourful Hands-on Home property has a light and airy feel to it, along with vibrant green and yellow walls and bright blue doors.

The homeowners of Hands-on Home, located in Lewisham, bagged themselves the Cost Effective Prize in this year's competition. The kitchen is neutral in colour with nude-coloured tiles, cream cabinets and a rustic exposed brick wall, along with a skylight window to increase sunlight in the corner of the house.

The study in Hands-on Home features a light wooden unit which gives a vintage feel to the property. They extended and renovated their 1970s ground-floor flat over five years and had to balance family life all while finding a way to fund their renovation without feeling financial strain.

The tight budget meant that they experimented more with DIY and different materials to achieve the finish they wanted (pictured the bedroom). The kitchen for Hands-on Home , which was designed by Natallia Tanko, is neutral with nude-coloured tiles, cream cabinets and a rustic exposed brick wall, along with a skylight window to increase sunlight in the corner of the house.