This new home was built on an L-shaped plot in a back alley in Bethnal Green. We were influenced by Japanese architecture which inspired us to create an open interior, multifunctional spaces and a clean, simple aesthetic. 

With 'public' areas on the ground level and the main living spaces above, this builds upon the concept of living over the shop providing both spaces to live and work side by side. The studio has a double-height volume at the front bringing in light in from high-level glazing and giving a sense of the sky. 

At ground level the building is set back ever so slightly: a small public gesture in the narrow alley and allowing a little shelter when looking for your key! The front elevation is treated as a taut, glass skin, with cast 'Georgian' wired glass used as a tough industrial but cheap solution appropriate to this uncompromising location.