Tucked away in the verdant countryside of Oxfordshire, sits the new multi-arts production facility of artists Max Richter and Yulia Mahr. Studio Richter Mahr may be a state-of-the-art creative space, but it is located within a low, metal-clad structure that takes its cues from the local vernacular of the region's barns and farmyard buildings – infused with the modern sensibility of a contemporary production headquarters. Visual artist Mahr and music composer Richter spearheaded the creation of their joint Oxfordshire studio that repurposes an upcycled farm building on the edge of 31 acres of woodland, transforming it into a piece of rural, minimalist architecture.
'Studio Richter Mahr is about dreaming the future into existence, a better way to live and work,' says Mahr. 'It’s about forward motion and borderless creativity. It’s about offering time and opportunities for people to really experiment.'
The studio is not only technically equipped to tackle the two artists’ creative endeavours, but it's also designed to be forward thinking in its design too. Eco-friendly strategies, such as solar technologies and a heat-pump help this modest structure to be carbon positive. A minimalist approach to materials – a natural and restrained palette, including mostly timber – helps create a clean, almost utilitarian feel that does not distract from artistic production and the natural context beyond.
Richter and Mahr collaborated with local architectural designer Charlie Luxton and his team on the main space. The studios and mix rooms – built to be on a suspended concrete floor, as a building within the building – were the result of work with specialists Level Acoustics and Studio Creations, ensuring the production areas are fit for purpose as well as looking chic and contemporary.
The result contains an orchestral recording room (including one of the UK's only Steinway Spirio R concert grand pianos), a Dolby Atmos mix room, programming rooms, a collection of vintage synthesisers, a video edit suite, fine art studios, an exhibition space, and a café offering local produce. Additionally, the building is wired to broadcast live performances.
Operating as a commercial space for hire, as well as a free space for emerging artists to develop work, Studio Richter Mahr promises to be a hub of creativity for Oxfordshire and beyond.
INFORMATION
-
Inside the work of photographer Seydou Keïta, who captured portraits across West Africa‘Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens’, an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, New York, celebrates the 20th-century photographer
-
Park Hyatt takes Kuala Lumpur to new heightsMore than a decade in the making, Malaysia’s first Park Hyatt floats between levels 75 and 114 of Asia Pacific’s tallest tower, redefining intimacy in the sky
-
Obakki’s homeware collections tell a story of craft with a humanitarian missionAs Obakki launches its ‘Made in Morocco’ collection, Wallpaper* speaks to founder Treana Peake on how she developed the ethical homeware brand
-
Corten curves and contemporary flair transform this terraced house in LondonCagni Williams Associates’ sensitive refurbishment of a south London Edwardian house features a striking and sustainable Corten steel extension
-
You may know it as ‘Dirty House’ – now, The Rogue Room brings 21st-century wellness to ShoreditchThe Rogue Room – set in the building formerly known as Dirty House by Sir David Adjaye, now reinvented by Studioshaw – bridges wellness and culture in London's Shoreditch
-
The architectural innovation hidden in plain sight at Frieze London 2025The 2025 Frieze entrance pavilions launch this week alongside the art fair, showcasing a brand-new, modular building system set to shake up the architecture of large-scale events
-
RIBA Stirling Prize 2025 winner is ‘a radical reimagining of later living’Appleby Blue Almshouse wins the RIBA Stirling Prize 2025, crowning the social housing complex for over-65s by Witherford Watson Mann Architects, the best building of the year
-
‘Belonging’ – the LFA 2026 theme is revealed, exploring how places can become personalThe idea of belonging and what it means in today’s world will be central at the London Festival of Architecture’s explorations, as the event’s 2026 theme has been announced today
-
Join us on a first look inside Regent’s View, the revamped canalside gasholder project in LondonRegent's View, the RSHP-designed development for St William, situated on a former gasholder site on a canal in east London, has just completed its first phase
-
The Royal College of Art has announced plans for renewal of its Kensington campusThe Royal College of Art project, led by Witherford Watson Mann Architects, includes the revitalisation of the Darwin Building and more, in the hopes of establishing an open and future-facing place of creativity
-
Power Hall’s glow-up shines light on science and innovation in ManchesterPower Hall at The Science and Industry Museum in Manchester was given a spruce-up by Carmody Groarke, showcasing the past and future of machines, engineering and sustainable architecture
