This mini loft in Bermondsey is the home of one half of Studio 29, Louise.

After a few years living in a Victorian house conversion in West London, in 2019 she was ready for a change of scene.

The choice fell on Bermondsey, with its converted factories, food markets and proximity to the river.

Louise found a studio in the Alaska Building, once a Victorian seal fur factory, remodelled in the '30s by the same designers responsible for the Hoover building.
The studio is a 5 meters tall space with a wall of a full height Crittall glazing and an open plan sleeping mezzanine.

It was sold with no storage at all and was simply painted all white.

Armed with a small budget, a tight time for the renovation and the constrains due to the pandemic, Louise and our builder Tomasz set out to fit out the mini loft.

A simple palette of soft colours - pink raw plaster, light birch plywood, white paper lanterns and a dark chocolate hue to highlight ceilings and structural elements and a few clever storage elements - all constructed in plywood that the builder managed to acquire at the height of lockdown - transformed the space from a white box in to a cosy home with a touch of the whimsical.

A few vintage pieces, like the '70s Danish Magnus Olesun chairs in chrome, add personality to the uncluttered, serene space, while the lighting is a clever mix of globe paper lanterns and technical pieces that create different moods for the different areas and activities, thus giving an illusion of a much bigger space.

Team:

Architects and Interior Designers: Studio 29 Architects

Photographer: Tarry and Perry