Whitechapel Road warehouse conversion offers contemporary live-work interior
Whitechapel Road warehouse has been converted by Vine Architecture Studio into a contemporary live-work space
![Whitechapel Road warehouse conversion interior](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QeVvHnN6pMBkTjr8Xq2AEW-415-80.jpg)
A Whitechapel Road warehouse in east London, managed by a socially conscious landlord, has become a hub for local creativity, being let to small, creative start-ups. Within its folds, dynamic local practice Vine Architecture Studio (whose Mile End apartment renovation we've also explored) has transformed one of the building's floors into a modern live/work interior, making the most of the existing structure's period bones, historical features and generous volume.
Whitechapel Road warehouse conversion by Vine Architecture Studio
'[The landlord] happens to also be our landlord (our studio is in the neighbouring building),' says studio founder Rory Pennant-Rea. 'Our client, an up-and-coming fashion and costume designer, often works on location for long periods at short notice, and our refurbishment of her top-floor space acknowledges this transient lifestyle, unlocking it for both living and work.'
Working with natural and recycled materials (such as clay, timber and cork), the architects worked to craft a tailor-made interior – opening up spaces and allowing light to flow freely, while elsewhere designing bespoke furniture that carves out distinct spaces and smartly separates uses.
A mezzanine floor, added during the redesign, takes advantage of the interior tall ceilings to add usable floorspace. Underneath it is the main workspace, with its tables, benches and machinery, as well as a kitchen and bathroom.
'We pulled the [mezzanine's] floor edge back to reveal the arched warehouse window in its entirety, allowing north light to flood in and giving a stronger sense of space and connection. We left the original roof trusses exposed which mark out distinct areas for sleeping, relaxing and dressing,' says Pennant-Rea.
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Tour the Natural History Museum’s new gardens, a Jurassic lark in London
The Natural History Museum in London has unveiled two new gardens, with resident dinosaurs, after a transformation led by architects Feilden Fowles
By Bridget Downing Published
-
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
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Hideaway House in London features timber panelling inspired by the New York hospitality scene
The elegantly refurbished Hideaway House by Studio McW in London features timber panelling inspired by Philip Johnson’s The Four Seasons Restaurant
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
An Uxbridge annexe by Bureau de Change is a design for effortless intergenerational living
Uxbridge Bower, a residential annexe in west London, is a contemporary addition offering both privacy and connection for the needs of a family
By Tianna Williams Published
-
‘Modern Buildings’ tours south-east London through a guide to post-war Blackheath and Greenwich
‘Modern Buildings: Blackheath and Greenwich’ is a detailed survey of a London borough’s rich trove of new modernist architecture
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Triangle House invites you to its inner world of colourful surprises
Triangle House by Artefact is a private home in Epsom, outside London, combining Caribbean style, colour and functionality
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Tour the refreshed Saint Andrew Holborn: an icon reveals its crisp new interior in London
DaeWha Kang reimagines Saint Andrew Holborn church through a sensitive architectural solution that blends tradition and modernity in London
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A Suffolk house by Studio Bark pairs a fresh visual language with low-energy design
Suffolk house Water Farm is off-the-grid but defiantly on the map, a bold new object in the landscape with a strong visual impact and minimal carbon footprint
By Jonathan Bell Published