Drama Republic moves into a colourful, handcrafted workspace in London
For the new creative HQ of production company Drama Republic, Emil Eve Architects remodels a warehouse into office space in London’s Holborn

Drama Republic, a leading production company behind hit British TV dramas including One Day and Dr Foster, had been working from a busy and cluttered office in London’s Holborn for years before it decided to turn to RIBA award-winning practice Emil Eve Architects for help with a full refurbishment.
Known for its residential projects, injecting contemporary flair and personality into the capital’s traditional Victorian housing stock, from Newington Green to Clapton, the east London-based architects (whose Highgate House was shortlisted for the RIBA London Awards 2024) were keen to create a welcoming, practical space without the usual corporate trappings of the typical HQ.
The new London offices of Drama Republic
‘We wanted to do something that felt more handcrafted than corporate, so there are natural materials, bespoke joinery, and a calm but colourful palette – lots of the spaces feel more domestic than workplace, but it still delivers everything that the team needs, with plenty of flexibility built in,’ explains Emma Perkin, who co-founded Emil Eve Architects in 2009 with her partner Ross Perkin.
The brief included creating a variety of flexible work areas, from solo workstations for focused tasks to spaces to collaborate and comfortable meeting rooms. All are painted in a midcentury colour scheme of warm greens, blues and oranges, with white walls complementing the natural wood used throughout, which includes sapele joinery and oak herringbone flooring.
‘The standout feature is probably the painted datum joinery running along the perimeter – it's an unusual specification for a workplace but it's very hardworking – deep enough to provide storage and house bulky equipment like the printer, as well as concealing cables and radiators,’ says Emma.
The work of Kent-based Harbour Joinery Workshop (with some pieces made in collaboration with Thomas Collier Studio), the datum joinery is present throughout the spaces, and matched in the welcoming lobby area by a timber structure that doubles up as an elegant divider and shelving, its proportions neatly echoing the building’s original glass partitions.
The interiors feature easily reconfigurable freestanding desks, bespoke meeting and coffee tables and a mix of pendant lights, as well as bright orange textured ceramic tiles in the kitchen area. Many pieces were repurposed to maximise the budget. ‘We reused furniture and features where possible, and where new fittings were added, for instance, the colourful glass lights, we chose things that you might expect to see in a home rather than an office,’ says Emma.
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Léa Teuscher is a Sub-Editor at Wallpaper*. A former travel writer and production editor, she joined the magazine over a decade ago, and has been sprucing up copy and attempting to write clever headlines ever since. Having spent her childhood hopping between continents and cultures, she’s a fan of all things travel, art and architecture. She has written three Wallpaper* City Guides on Geneva, Strasbourg and Basel.
-
Waymo expands in California with its sights set on New York
If you live on the eastside of LA, you can now catch a Waymo to work
-
With an ode to Italy, Homme Plissé Issey Miyake brings its brand of fashion magic to Florence’s Pitti Uomo
Marking the start of a new nomadic way of showing for the Japanese label, Homme Plissé Issey Miyake held its S/S 2026 show at Florence’s Villa Medicea della Petraia as part of Pitti Uomo last night (18 June) with a collection inspired by the colours and textures of Italy
-
Ever heard of a wellness-inclusive resort? Book this Vietnamese retreat
Every stay at Namia River Retreat includes traditional therapies, daily wellness rituals, and riverside cultural immersions
-
A new London exhibition explores the legacy of Centre Pompidou architect Richard Rogers
‘Richard Rogers: Talking Buildings’ – opening tomorrow at Sir John Soane’s Museum – examines Rogers’ high-tech icons, which proposed a democratic future for architecture
-
At the Royal Academy summer show, architecture and art combine as never before
The Royal Academy summer show is about to open in London; we toured the iconic annual exhibition and spoke to its curator for architecture, Farshid Moussavi
-
This ingenious London office expansion was built in an on-site workshop
New Wave London and Thomas-McBrien Architects make a splash with this glulam extension built in the very studio it sought to transform. Here's how they did it
-
Once vacant, London's grand department stores are getting a new lease on life
Thanks to imaginative redevelopment, these historic landmarks are being reborn as residences, offices, gyms and restaurants. Here's what's behind the trend
-
Lego and Serpentine celebrate World Play Day with a new pavilion
Lego and Serpentine have just unveiled their Play Pavilion; a colourful new structure in Kensington Gardens in London and a gesture that celebrates World Play Day (11 June)
-
Inside Abbey Road's refresh: touring the legendary studio's new interior
Abbey Road gets an interior refresh by Threefold Architects, bringing the legendary London recording studio in tune with the 21st century
-
The Serpentine Pavilion 2025 is ready to visit, ‘an exhibition you can use’
The Serpentine Pavilion 2025 is ready for its public opening on 6 June; we toured the structure and spoke to its architect, Marina Tabassum
-
A meticulously crafted artist’s space in east London evokes the area’s long creative history
Maich Swift Architects’ artist’s space has radically reconfigured a Victorian terraced house, transforming it into a contemporary live/work interior