David Stanley and Romy Grabosch are both experienced architects and have worked on prestigious projects all over the globe. When they came to build their own home, they wanted to create something completely unique of exceptionally high quality.

Green home in the urban jungle

Although the family lives in London, he is keen for his growing children to have a connection with timber and other natural elements.

“As architects, and as parents, we have a moral obligation to design sustainable buildings for coming generations. We have to teach them about different materials, so that they can make wise decisions for themselves and the environment,” enthuses David.

Protective exterior

As architects, the couple know all about the importance for design and performance of using quality materials. They soon settled on Kebony.

“We went for the because it is an environment-friendly, high-grade material with a unique, distinctive appearance. And when we started working it, it exceeded all our expectations. For us, as architects, this is truly an amazing material to work with, and absolutely ideal for exterior cladding,” they explain.

“This material offers design duality. It’s a protective exterior that shields the home from the elements, but it’s also a work of art in itself.”

Won prestigious design award

The couple’s striking Kebony extension won first prize in the ‘Housing Exterior Surface’ category at last year’s Surface Design Awards. The Surface Design Awards recognise and celebrate the best use of innovative surface materials internationally, and entries are judged by type of material, application and project design aesthetics.

Traditional Japanese technique

The Kebony wood used by David and Romy undergoes an exceptional treatment. The UK-based Shou Sugi Ban company uses ancient Japanese techniques for giving Kebony timber a distinctive appearance. Shou Sugi Ban is a Japanese term meaning “burnt cedar board”. Shou Sugi Ban sells both Kebony Clear and Character, which are treated using this technique, and the result is a wood product with unique character, embodying intriguing colouration and structures.