London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 01, 2025

Boomerang House by ORA

Boomerang House by ORA

With a clever arrangement comprising a cottage and a primary residence, local design firm ORA gives a family outdoor access at every turn.

Instead of building out a box to the lot lines, as is common for new developments in the area, the studio created two separate buildings in tandem with one another: a long, linear home "shaped like a boomerang," and a bright red accessory dwelling unit (ADU) with a faceted roof that "references the form of the neighborhood’s one-story gable cottages," says the firm.

For now, the ADU functions as an art studio, but it can easily become an independent apartment should the owners need it for aging-in-place, or as a space for guests.



There was another reason to avoid building to the lot’s perimeter: By siting the two structures strategically, the firm created a series of accessible outdoor areas-from the pool zone tucked behind the ADU, to the James Turrell–inspired "skyroom" off the second-floor main suite. "Each aspect of the design was carefully considered to create a seamless indoor/outdoor living experience," says the firm.

At the main level of both buildings, "every room opens directly to an outdoor space," says the firm. This is true whether it’s a guest bedroom with a large sliding door, or the ADU, with its double doors that open wide to a front courtyard. There, the owners can easily spread out with large art projects.



A shared glass entryway was slotted between the two buildings. In the main house, a long skylight over the staircase brings natural light deep inside, and steers circulation, while views to the surrounding gardens are plentiful. A soothing material palette composed of concrete floors, white walls, and wood is punctuated by spots of bright, happy color-like the teal tile backsplash and a salmon-toned cabinet in the kitchen, or the sunshine yellow vanity in one of the bathrooms.

And as for the unexpected color of the ADU? "It was inspired by a strawberry bush at the owner’s former home," says the firm. In such ways, not only did ORA balance indoors and out, and the present with the future, but the firm also created a home that both surprises and comforts.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×