Former Artist’s Studio #2, Chelsea
Former Artist’s Studio #2, ChelseaHans Town Apartment, KnightsbridgeFormer Artist’s Studio #1, ChelseaListed Farmstead, SuffolkNorth Vat, DungenessMixed Use, SouthwarkPiccadilly HotelTownhouse, BelgraviaMixed Use, ReadingFive Apartments, KensingtonGarden Workshop, CambridgeMews House #2, BelgraviaMixed Use, LambethMews House #1, BelgraviaGarden Square Apartment, KensingtonQueen Anne Apartment, KnightsbridgeTownhouse, PimlicoNew Build House, St. John’s WoodNew Build House, WandsworthSartor House, ChelseaTownhouse, KensingtonCorner Cottage, WimbledonFormer Embassy, KensingtonNew Build House, SouthwarkBryggen HytteTownhouse, Notting HillCountry House, YorkshireAmbassadors HotelPocket Living, KensingtonGlen Affric, Highlands
Towards the Victorian fin de siècle, the status of the artist was improving a number of artists studios were being constructed in and around the King’s Road in Chelsea. Distinct artistic communities were being established, bringing together some of the greatest creative thinkers in Britain. This project saw us engage proactively with that history, deploying Arthur Ranthome’s description of the Bohemian’s ‘large bare room’ as the foundation for our vision.
We were greeted with something of a blank canvas, rich in terms of the stories it could tell, but functional in its design, as proved the case with many studios of the period. Our response was unashamedly modernist, with an inherently simple, pragmatic and functional design consistent with the preferences of clients past and present.
Extensive use of structural glazing in the balustrades, shelving, cabinets, ceilings, and walls, ensured the building retained its association with unvarnished natural light. The white resin floors, cabinets, and work surfaces reflected and refracted this light, allowing for natural decoration on the polished concrete and plaster surfaces. Without exception clutter was pushed out of sight to ensure the focus was on sculpture, painting, and abstracted forms.
Photography by Rory Gardner
