UK

Subterms

    More stories

    • 113 Shares119 Views

      in Rooms

      HawkinsBrown converts former Vitra showroom into own street-front office

      by

      Architecture studio HawkinsBrown has taken over a former furniture showroom, giving its staff a workspace with a shop window, a social kitchen and a Richard Woods-designed cabin.

      The former Vitra showroom on Clerkenwell Road is now a three-level office for 250 of HawkinsBrown’s 350 staff. The new street-front address was designed to give the architects a workspace that facilitates more diverse ways of working and offers greater opportunities for social activities and events.
      The street-front office is located on Clerkenwell Road in London”Our vast shopfront means we are on display, presenting us with a new and exciting opportunity to show the world who we are and what we do,” said HawkinsBrown managing partner Hazel York.
      “It’s a place to connect with our clients, collaborators and the wider Clerkenwell community through a programme of talks and events, temporary exhibitions and art installations.”
      The ground floor can be used for different activities and eventsCentral to this approach was turning the ground-floor space into a flexible “canteen” featuring a stainless-steel counter where staff meet for coffee and cafe-style furniture that can be easily moved around.

      “Our ground floor canteen is our working experiment, our laboratory,” said HawkinsBrown’s creative director David Bickle.
      A stainless-steel counter is the place where staff meet for coffee”It’s a place where we can host talks and seminars, workshops, supper clubs and sunset yoga, and invite takeovers by like-minded organisations,” he told Dezeen.
      “We’ve purposely kept it unprogrammed, loose fit and unfinished, preferring to ‘show not tell’ what we do to the world outside.”

      HawkinsBrown and RPP Architects create “beacon for university life” in Belfast

      A shed covered in the colourful cartoon-style prints of artist Richard Woods can be found on this floor, surrounded by plants.
      Known as Hut, it offers staff a place to find isolation.
      The Richard Woods-designed Hut sits among plantsThe idea was to create the feel of a building within a building, an approach that HawkinsBrown previously explored on projects including the Gantry at Here East and the Here + Now offices.
      “We recognised that many of us worked from sheds, home offices, lofts and kitchen tables during the Covid lockdown and that this form of isolation was important for certain concentrated creative tasks,” stated Bickle.
      This colourful cabin offers staff a place to find isolation”We talked through our ideas with Richard; he was immediately taken with our thinking and open to creating something new,” Bickle said.
      “The closed form of Hut creates a talking point. Paradoxically we placed the most private space in the most public location but, through its design, we created a sanctuary from the rest of the studio and the world outside.”
      The newly painted red staircase encourages staff to stop and chatMore art can be found on the glazed facade in the form of graphics designed by architect June Tong, the winning entry in an in-house competition.
      Power-assisted acoustic curtains allow the space to be subdivided if necessary, while a newly painted red staircase encourages staff to stop and chat while moving between floors.
      The design includes both formal meeting rooms and collaborative spacesMeeting rooms can be found on all three levels. These include a pair of adjoining basement rooms affectionately known as Ray and Charles, which can be combined into one larger room called Eames.
      These were named in tribute to former occupant Vitra, which produces furniture by the famed American architects.
      A modelmaking workshop is located in the basementA modelmaking workshop is located in the basement but visible from above, while pin-up boards were integrated into sliding doors as well as mobile partitions.
      York said the new office has shaped a more collaborative culture among staff. Amid the wider shift to hybrid working, she believes it has strengthened the firm’s sense of community and collective identity.
      “We knew having a shop window on a bustling street would be great but it has surpassed our expectations,” she said.
      The windows feature graphics designed by in-house architect June Tong”Watching the world go by is a constant reminder of how our work shapes and is shaped by the city and communities we serve.”
      “Equally, we are very open about the work we do; everyone can see in. We draw on the windows, stick up work in progress and regularly wave at people at the bus stop!”
      The photography is by Ruth Ward.

      Read more: More

    • 125 Shares129 Views

      in Rooms

      Studio Est adds “brutalist elements” to Battersea Power Station apartment

      by

      London interiors firm Studio Est referenced the industrial heritage of Battersea Power Station when creating the interiors for this apartment set within the redeveloped landmark.

      The apartment’s owner wanted to transform the empty shell into a space that would reflect both his personal tastes and the home’s setting within the former art deco power station.
      Studio Est has transformed the interiors of a Battersea Power Station apartmentKnown for its quiet luxury interiors, Studio Est applied a palette of subtle neutral shades to unify the apartment’s open-plan spaces and provide a consistent backdrop for various characterful furnishings and artworks.
      “We wanted to keep it simple but introduce subtle brutalist elements that evoke the building’s history,” founder Louise East told Dezeen. “These are complemented by softer textures that add a more feminine touch.”
      Mario Bellini and Charles Rennie Mackintosh chairs feature in the dining roomAlthough some areas of the redeveloped power station feature steel beams and other industrial details, East found the apartment entirely devoid of original elements.

      So the studio turned to furniture, artwork and accessories to introduce character and visual interest to the living spaces.
      A dramatic painting is set against the neutral wallsDramatic pieces, including a large painting in the dining room and a bespoke geometric sofa in the lounge area, were chosen to ground these spaces and introduce a masculine feel.
      East then layered these with textural details including cushions, lampshades and linen-wool blend curtains, all of which were custom-made for the project.
      The room also houses a metal reinterpretation of Gerrit Rietveld’s Zigzag chairAlongside the bespoke items, Studio Est sourced various vintage pieces including leather chairs by Italian designer Mario Bellini, which surround the dark wooden dining table.
      A Hill House Chair by Scottish art deco architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh and a metal reinterpretation of Gerrit Rietveld’s seminal Zigzag chair also feature in the dining room.

      Archmongers celebrates “raw beauty of brutalist concrete” in Trellick Tower apartment refresh

      The two bedrooms display distinctly different approaches to colour and materiality. The principal bedroom is painted in a rich terracotta hue that lends the space a warm, enveloping atmosphere, while the second bedroom incorporates textures chosen to complement the adjacent gardens.
      “Although it’s an open-plan apartment, we didn’t want all the rooms to look the same,” said East, who established her studio in 2020 after 15 years of working for other architects and interior designers including Russell Sage and Martin Brudnizki.
      A bespoke geometric sofa centres the lounge area”It’s good to be able to move from one space to another and have a different look and feel,” she added. “The main bedroom is intentionally different to the living areas because we wanted to make this a space where the client can come after a day’s work and feel comfortable reading a book.”
      Throughout the apartment, the owner’s ceramics collection is displayed on characterful plinths, carefully positioned to emphasise specific views within the spaces and of the landscaped gardens outside.
      Cushions and curtains were made custom for the projectBattersea Power Station was designed by British architect Giles Gilbert Scott and built by the London Power Company in several phases between 1929 and 1955. It was decommissioned in 1975 and subsequently given Grade II listed status.
      A lengthy redevelopment of the site on the south bank of the River Thames introduced accommodation, hospitality, offices and retail space while preserving the building’s iconic chimney stacks and facades.
      The principal bedroom is painted in a rich terracotta hueLondon architecture firm WilkinsonEyre oversaw the restoration and conversion of the former power station, which now features a glass lift within one of its chimneys.
      UK studio Foster + Partners designed an office for technology brand Apple inside the building as well as a store for the company that retains four original brick pillars.
      The photography is courtesy of Studio Est.

      Read more: More

    • 125 Shares99 Views

      in Rooms

      Beacon House extension by Office S&M features bubblegum pink tiles

      by

      A London house extension designed by Office S&M features a ceramic facade with the same pink glaze used for Tube station tiles on the Hammersmith and City Line.

      Office S&M designed Beacon House, a single-storey rear extension, for a Victorian terraced house in Tottenham, north London.
      Pink “pillow-shaped” tiles clad the extensionIt creates a larger kitchen and dining space for a couple and their two young children.
      The architects chose “pillow-shaped” tiles for the extension’s facade, giving the structure a puffy aesthetic.
      The pink glaze is the same used for tiles on Hammersmith and City Line stationsThe bubblegum pink glaze is specifically used on Hammersmith and City Line station tiles, to match the colour that indicates the line on the London Underground map.

      Here, it was selected to complement the original brickwork and reflect the clients’ love of municipal architecture.
      Pale green window frames contrast the pink”Alex and Ella showed us examples of public buildings they grew up with and ones they visited on their travels, which included sun-bleached climbing frames, tiled swimming pools, leisure centres and stations,” said Catrina Stewart, co-founder of Office S&M along with Hugh McEwen.
      “Just like with these buildings, they wanted their home to be both robust and joyful,” Stewart told Dezeen.
      The extension creates a generous kitchen and dining areaThe extruded clay tiles, handcrafted by manufacturers Materials Assemble and Teamwork Italy, contrast with the pale green colour of the window frames and downpipe.
      “Ella grew up in west London and her dad used to take the Hammersmith and City line every day; the pink tiles reminded her of home,” added Stewart.
      Curved details include a kitchen island and the wall wrapping a downstairs WCThe renovation also involved improving the building’s performance, making it better insulated and ventilated, and bringing a contemporary feel to the interiors throughout.
      The design features the bold colours and graphic style that have become Office S&M’s calling card, as previously seen in projects like Mo-tel House and Graphic House.
      As with Graphic House, the interior features several bespoke elements that inject a sense of the owners’ personality. Stewart points to the kitchen island as an example.
      Bold colours feature throughout the houseThe central focus of the extension, it features a resin and timber worktop made by surface design studio Mirrl, using a technique inspired by Japanese lacquer craft Tsugaru Nuri.
      “A bespoke pattern was created, referencing the clients’ memories of pastel hues and fading colours found along the British seaside,” Stewart said.
      The hallway includes monochrome tiles and a round yellow mirrorTiled surfaces and curved details feature all over, continuing the aesthetic of the building’s exterior.
      Examples of tiles include a yellow-grouted kitchen splashback, the monochrome flooring in the entrance hallway, and the soft yellow and pink surfaces in the first-floor bathroom.
      Pale pink and yellow tiles were installed in the first-floor bathroomProminent curves include the kitchen island, as well as a rounded wall framing the downstairs toilet and a yellow-framed hallway mirror.
      “Many of the municipal buildings that they showed us were associated with a story or a memory,” said Stewart.
      “The subtle references in their home serve as a reminder of these stories and experiences.”
      The three-bedroom property is home to a couple with two childrenThe colour scheme naturally progresses through the building, with richer tones at the front of the house and lighter tones as you move through to the top-lit extension.
      Local craft makers were involved in many of the smaller details, from the baby blue banquette upholstery in the kitchen, to the hand-painted gold number fixed to the front door.
      The photography is by French + Tye.
      Project credits
      Architect: Office S&MStructural engineer: Foster StructuresContractor: YG BuildersFurniture build: YG BuildersKitchen surfaces: MirrlGlazed pink external tiles: Materials Assemble, Teamwork ItalyGlobal paints: YesColoursUpholstery: Studio SwadeGold number sign: Mark Errington

      Read more: More

    • 125 Shares159 Views

      in Rooms

      Benjamin Hale Architects extends light-starved Victorian home upwards and outwards

      by

      Welsh practice Benjamin Hale Architects has added two modern extensions – one made from pale brick, the other from black zinc – to a Victorian-era home in south London.

      The end-of-terrace house is located in Dulwich and previously featured a dim and dated interior.
      The ground floor extension accommodates a new kitchenWorking alongside local interior designer Hamish Vincent, Benjamin Hale Architects set out to bring natural light back into the plan and “engender a sense of calm and domesticity” throughout.
      The practice started by adding a pale, clay-brick volume to the rear of the property, incorporating a neglected alley that sat to the side of the plot.
      Skylights and Crittall doors help brighten up the room”An underused side return or side alley is a traditional feature of many traditional Victorian terrace homes,” the practice’s eponymous founder told Dezeen. “However, being on an edge plot offered a considerable advantage in this instance.”

      Inside, the extension contains a modern kitchen complete with oak cabinetry, pale terrazzo flooring and a central counter with a built-in cooker, where inhabitants can prepare meals.
      Fluted tiles decorate the breakfast nookA breakfast nook was set up towards the back of the room, its cushioned seating bench set against a fluted tile wall.
      Sunlight streams into the room from a skylight created in the room’s upper corner and the Crittall doors that open onto the garden.
      Eye-catching furniture pieces appear throughout the formal dining areaA new doorway links the extension to the formal dining room, where Vincent introduced a bold medley of furnishings. This includes a stripy timber table and a chandelier composed of a cluster of spherical bulbs.
      As many of the home’s original period features had been removed over time, Benjamin Hale Architects reinstated a grand marble fireplace in the room.

      Will Gamble Architects modernises London Victorian house with “soft minimalism” interiors

      Ornate coving was also fitted around the ceiling of the adjacent sitting area, which hosts a sofa and sculptural armchairs upholstered in creamy boucle.
      An oak staircase with a slatted balustrade leads up to a zinc-clad dormer roof extension, added at the request of the owners who wanted the home to have extra sleeping quarters.
      The space – which now serves as the primary bedroom – has wooden panels running around its perimeter and a large picture window that offers far-reaching views over the streets of Dulwich.
      Wooden panels envelop the principal bedroomEnsuite facilities were integrated into the room alongside a freestanding bath, snugly positioned beneath the roof’s eaves and illuminated by a small skylight.
      The project also saw Vincent infuse the property’s existing bedrooms with warmth and tactility, adding weathered stone pots, lantern-style lights, tobacco-hued surfaces and more.
      The room also has its own standalone bathThis isn’t the only Dulwich residence to recently undergo a revamp; a few months ago architecture studio Proctor & Shaw built a concrete extension for a terrace home in the affluent neighbourhood, better connecting it to its 57-metre-long back garden.
      The photography is by Pierce Scourfield.

      Read more: More

    • 150 Shares129 Views

      in Rooms

      Hallmarks of British pubs and French brasseries meet in Henri restaurant interior

      by

      French interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon has converted the restaurant of London’s Henrietta Hotel into an homage to Parisian bistros for chef Jackson Boxer.

      Set on the ground floor of the hotel’s 19th-century townhouse in Covent Garden, Henri serves classic French dishes with a British twist – and British produce – from grilled snails on skewers to a raclette burger au poivre.
      Henri is the restaurant of London boutique hotel HenriettaThe mishmash of influences in Boxer’s cooking is also reflected in Meilichzon’s interiors, where art nouveau details rub shoulders with the oakwood panelling and leather upholstery found in London’s public houses.
      “We have designed an interior that mixes the relaxed style of a traditional British pub with the elegance of a typical French brasserie,” the designer told Dezeen.
      The interior merges typical features of pubs and brasseriesGuests enter the restaurant via an informal bar area, where snacks and aperitifs are served on red Coralito marble counters.

      Bulbous brass lights and table lamps with scalloped shades informed by plum blossoms provide points of brightness in the dimly lit interior, chosen as a tribute to Covent Garden’s former life as a fruit and vegetable market.
      Meilichzon created custom seating banquettes for the restaurantForest-green paint adds to the cosy pub atmosphere, together with the dark timber wainscoting and the bar with its leather-upholstered stools.
      The entrance also introduces Belle Epoque details such as spherical lights and gridded mirrored panels to create a sense of continuity with the main dining room.

      Dorothée Meilichzon nods to Alice in Wonderland for Cotswolds hotel interior

      “We have used some art nouveau elements typical in a brasserie: the detail on the arms of the banquettes, frosted glass globes, Thonet chairs and bespoke organic suspensions,” Meilichzon said.
      Despite the restaurant’s small footprint, Meilichzon managed to squeeze in several banquettes with decoratively curved backrests and hidden cutlery storage, designed bespoke for the interior.
      The benches are finished in velvet and leatherNear the entrance, there are smaller booths upholstered in duck-egg blue leather and velvet, with a lacquered frame in a darker midnight hue.
      But as the space widens towards the open kitchen at the back, the palette becomes warmer and cosier with terracotta wall tiles and larger banquettes for sharing, finished in rust-coloured velvet with glossy red arms and backrests.
      The restaurant’s existing ceiling murals were retainedAccompanied by classic bentwood bistro chairs from Thonet, Henri’s marble-topped tables with their dramatic skirts were also custom-made for the restaurant.
      Ornamentation is provided by an eclectic mix of artworks and photographs, framed alongside several mirrors and blackboards listing the daily specials.
      Meilichzon also created custom marble-topped tables for the restaurantMeilichzon also retained the restaurant’s existing floral ceiling murals, hand-painted on-site by French artists, that provide a counterweight to the rigid grid of the honeycomb parquet flooring.
      Henri is the latest in a long line of collaborations between Meilichzon and the Experimental Group, a French hospitality group for which she has also designed hotels in Venice, Ibiza, Biarritz and the Cotswolds.
      The photography is by WeTheFoodSnobs.

      Read more: More

    • 125 Shares149 Views

      in Rooms

      Khan Bonshek arranges east London home around brick “spine wall”

      by

      Architecture studio Khan Bonshek’s founders have remodelled their own terraced house in east London around a central brick wall, carrying out the majority of the work themselves.

      Named Two Up, Two Down, the house was renovated and extended by Sabba Khan and Mark Bonshek, who founded Khan Bonshek in 2021.
      With the studio acting as client, architect and contractor, the couple aimed to rearrange the home’s interior and add small additions to make the most of the space.
      Khan Bonshek designed their own home in London”The house represents our guiding philosophy; how to make the most with very little,” the couple said.
      “Most expensive new builds are about packing in rooms and low ceilings,” continued Bonshek.

      “We’ve taken a volumetric approach. We sought to create expanse, have views beyond rooms and create something humble through spatial arrangement.”
      The house is arranged around a central brick wallThe studio removed all the existing internal walls in the terrace, which the couple acquired in 2018, before adding a central grey brick “spine wall” through the centre of the building.
      This wall supports the stairs, which are visible in the front room, and runs the full height of the home adding a natural, textural element.
      A rear extension was replacedTo improve flow and openness in the house, two small extensions were added. On the ground floor, the existing extension was replaced with a full-width brick addition, which now contains the light-filled kitchen.
      At the top of the house, the existing loft conversion was extended with the addition of a timber-framed dormer.

      Will Gamble Architects modernises London Victorian house with “soft minimalism” interiors

      To further improve the sense of space, the walls enclosing the bathroom and study on the first floor were replaced with curtains.
      In the bathroom, a section of the ceiling was removed to create a double-height space.
      A timber framed dormer increased the loft spaceDuring the demolition, Khan Bonshek salvaged materials, which were reused in the reconstruction.
      These materials were supplemented with accessible materials such as plywood and yoghurt pots along with salvaged teak, black marble and brass.
      A double-height space was created in the bathroomAccording to the couple, the focus of the renovation was to create a home that would be an enjoyable place to live in, rather than adding value to the property.
      “We were very clear from the outset that we were creating a comfortable healthy home, rather than an asset,” said Khan.
      “We need to get to a place where we change policy and attitudes around housing as assets and instead to places which offer a reprieve and comfort.”
      The stairs are connected to the spine wallKhan believes the home can be an example of how existing terraced houses in the UK can be upgraded and argued that the government should amend tax laws to encourage renovations
      Refurbishments in the UK currently incur 20 per cent VAT, levies that are not applied on new build developments.
      “We have a duty to provide housing from the existing stock,” Khan added. “Think about all the embodied energy and why that’s such a better option than demolishing and putting up lots of new buildings.”
      The home is located in east LondonOther London home extensions recently featured on Dezeen include a minimalist extension to a Victorian home and a Grade II-listed villa with a wood-filled extension.
      The photography is by James Retief.

      Read more: More

    • 163 Shares199 Views

      in Rooms

      Tutto Bene uses silk and glass details to create “artist’s loft” Cubitts store

      by

      Design studio Tutto Bene looked to surrealist artworks and Italian modernist exhibition design when creating the interior for this eyewear store in Islington, north London.

      Set in the Angel area, the 60-square-metre store belongs to eyewear brand Cubitts and features an interior concept conceived by Tutto Bene based on the architecture of the space itself.
      A 1960s glass and chrome chandelier decorates Cubitts’ Angel store”It’s a long, slim room with an atelier atmosphere due to the strong contrasts of light and shadow,” the studio’s co-founder Oskar Kohnen told Dezeen.
      “The atelier feeling immediately evoked a sense of being at an artist’s loft, this feeling of residential elements mixed with workshop-like rawness is what we wanted to embrace.”
      Design studio Tutto Bene referenced art movements and artworks for the interiorTo underline this feeling, the studio added decorative pieces that nod to different art movements throughout the space.

      “The individual elements of the store design reference surrealist artworks and Italian modernist exhibition design from the 1940s and 50s through play on perspective, rational spatial composition and painterly use of colour,” Kohnen said.
      Green silk panels were placed along an entire wallA skylight lets plenty of light into the Cubitts shop, which Tutto Bene reflected via glass details placed inside the store.
      “We didn’t want to over-complicate the dynamic of the space,” the studio’s co-founder Felizia Berchtold told Dezeen.

      Tutto Bene references Streamline Moderne in tiny New York eyewear store

      “Instead we placed monolithic elements within it that offer points of interest and grounding,” she added.
      “Each element speaks a clear material language. There are hues of greens and yellow, the transparency of the nile glass, as well as areas of black that balance the space’s abundance of natural light.”
      Glass details reflect light in the storeThe slim, rectangular store features glass shelves set against a backdrop of sage-green silk from fabric house Holland & Sherry along the entire right-hand wall, in another reference to art and artworks.
      “The long shelf stretching the entire length of the space represents an artist’s easel, as well as exhibition tableaus,” Berchtold explained.
      “The natural slubs and beautiful colour variation that the silk brings provide a reverent backdrop for the frames displayed on it, whilst being a quiet artwork in itself.”
      A black volume stores custom-made framesAlong the left-hand side, Tutto Bene placed black storage and display volumes, as well as Cubitts’ eye-examination room.
      Kohnen and Berchtold designed many of the furniture pieces personally for the interior, among them an undulating orange seat.
      The store is located in Angel, Islington”Most elements are bespoke pieces we designed, including the Uovo chaise,” Berchtold said.
      “Then there’s some vintage treasures such as the 1960s glass and chrome chandelier and a group of FontanaArte prism-like pieces that complement and contextualise our fixture designs,  as well as photographic works by Lee Miller, casting the store through her surrealist lens.”
      Tutto Bene has previously designed the interior of Cubitts’ first New York store as well as the steel-and-mirror Nightingale restaurant in London’s Mayfair.

      Read more: More

    • 150 Shares199 Views

      in Rooms

      Sam Jacob gives “soft brutalist” University of Kent building a modern makeover

      by

      Architecture studio Sam Jacob Studio has refurbished a 1960s building at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England, using playful architectural references and bright colours to add layers of “wit and delight” to the existing interiors.

      The project provides teaching spaces for the university’s School of Architecture, Design and Planning, which is part of a campus designed by William Holford that opened in 1965.
      Sam Jacob Studio has refurbished the interiors of a 1960s University of Kent buildingSam Jacob Studio (SJS) looked to retain what it described as the “soft brutalist” character of the brick and concrete Marlowe Building when reorganising the existing interior.
      The Marlowe building originally housed the university’s physics department, which featured a series of cellular offices on the ground floor and a top-lit lab space above.
      The studio wanted to retain the building’s “soft brutalist” feelingFollowing a detailed consultation with faculty and students, Jacob and his team defined a strategy that balances areas dedicated to specific year groups and subjects with the ability to transform and open up the spaces.

      The team at SJS said it was interested in “what happens between the logic of architecture and the happenstance of creative working”.
      They based their design on a variety of famous creative spaces including the Bauhaus school and Paul Rudolph’s brutalist Yale Art and Architecture Building, as well as The Factory created by artist Andy Warhol in New York City.
      Large sliding doors were used to separate spacesThe architects gutted the existing interior to expose the concrete ceiling alongside the building’s structure and services, which were retained as the backdrop for a series of minimal interventions targeted at fulfilling the space’s new role.
      “This is a project that reveals the intrinsic qualities of the 1960s building, while also contrasting a more fluid contemporary character,” the studio said.
      “It is an architecture that invites inhabitation rather than imposing order, that recognises character, wit and delight as part of an essential role of architecture.”
      Polycarbonate portholes allow light to pass through the spacesSJS worked as much as possible with the existing spatial layout, adding just one wall to the ground floor and two on the first floor so that the interiors can evolve to meet different future requirements.
      Rather than functioning merely as static partitions, the walls are activated by incorporating moving components that can be used to adapt the layout of the studios.
      Large sliding doors with polycarbonate portholes allow some of the spaces to be separated, while pivoting wall sections can be opened or closed depending on the desired layout.

      Cannon Design draws on “essence of Michigan forests” for university building

      The partition walls incorporate full-height pinboards for displaying work. These surfaces were given a more dynamic appearance by cutting the boards diagonally from corner to corner.
      The standard-height pinboards are topped with a shelf, onto which adjustable lights are clamped to allow illumination of the students’ work. Mirrored panels above the shelf create the illusion of a continual space.
      Pinboards feature clamped adjustable lights to illuminate student’s workThe studio can be customised further to suit different working modes by rearranging freestanding elements including drawing boards, easels, screens and moveable storage units built using standard warehouse shelves.
      Existing furniture was reused wherever possible, while doors salvaged during the strip-out were converted into desks, with yellow laminate pieces added to fill in holes where the locks and vision panels were once located.
      Pivoting wall sections can be opened or closed depending on the desired layoutThe interior incorporates several explicit architectural references, according to SJS, including a colour palette based on Le Corbusier’s 1959 paint system.
      “A series of columns used to define thresholds act as 1:1 models of, variously, Canterbury Cathedral, Brancusi and James Stirling, like a library of other architectures inhabiting the school,” the team explained.
      To prevent sunlight from overheating the studios, a series of coloured window blinds was added along with moveable perforated pinboard panels that help to control privacy. This creates a changing topography that animates the building’s exterior.
      Moveable perforated pinboard panels provide privacy and shadingSam Jacob established his eponymous studio in 2014, having previously worked as part of the radical architecture collective FAT for over 20 years.
      Previous projects by SJS include a new entrance at London’s V&A museum made from hundreds of glass tubes and a brightly coloured studio and office for designer Yinka Ilori.
      The photography is by Timothy Soar.

      Read more: More