A dated apartment in a former tannery transformed into a warm and colourful home
I'm a big believer in being in the right place at the right time,” says the owner of this flat in a converted former tannery near London Bridge. Having lived, studied and worked in the area for decades, she had often passed the development and longed to buy one of the apartments within. When she finally found the one she loved and moved in on New Year's Eve in 2019, it was clear that it needed an overhaul. Having spent several months figuring out the eccentricities of the space and what it needed, she called in James Arkoulis and Saskia Howard of Howark Design to reorganise and rationalise the flat.
The building had ceased to function as a tannery only in the late 1990s, and over the course of the next decade or so was gradually developed into flats. As the owner explains, the flat had suffered the same fate of many early Noughties warehouse conversions: "it had been "trendified" with the chrome, fogged glass tiles and white fixtures that were ubiquitous with that first wave of conversions. It was a vision of the early 2000s bachelor pad aesthetic." It also had a strange layout, with a tiny galley kitchen and shower room crammed into a small box within the main living area, while an empty expanse lay unused next to it. A triple height space that leads off the living room was also inefficiently used, with stairs leading down to a tiny, freezing cubby hole and windows beyond that had been walled off from the rest of the space.
When James and Saskia appeared on the scene, the owner briefed them with three main problems to solve: she needed a larger kitchen better integrated into the flat, where she and her partner could indulge their love of cooking; they also required a bigger bathroom to fit both a bath and a shower; and they needed a guest room with a double bed. Off they went, and the kitchen (now a showstopper in olive green) moved into the main living area, allowing the box where it had previously been to become a luxuriously large bathroom. In the tricky triple height space, which was opened up to allow light to flood in from the back of the flat, a clever day bed surrounded by storage created the much-needed guest room, while a mezzanine above provided space for storage, and the minuscule downstairs area became a charming carpeted study.
When it came to aesthetics, there was a fortuitous meeting of minds between client and designers. Turning up to the first meeting with a moodboard already in progress, the owner found that she shared many references and ideas with James and Saskia, and it was easy to agree on the direction the renovation would take. “I wanted to restore the character of the place, and its dignity!” explains the owner, referring to a general idea of “21st-century industrial Victoriana”, while James and Saskia speak of creating a "utilitarian vibe, but making it feel comfortable and homely."
As they stripped back the Noughties additions, they found the original tiles from the tannery, as well as substantial beams running throughout the space. The character and practicality of these elements delighted the owner, and they have remained prominent elements of the decorative scheme. Other utilitarian features were layered in to speak to the architecture: the rich copper worktop in the kitchen is a highlight. It will acquire scratches and stains over time, but that is actually a point in its favour for the owner–a story written literally on the surface of the kitchen.
One of the most striking aspects of the interiors is the joyful colour throughout, which emerged from the owner's own taste and was energetically supported by James and Saskia's efforts. The owner, who grew up in Singapore, has travelled extensively, and refers to herself as a ‘global magpie’, brought an extensive collection of furniture and bright, vibrant prints and pictures to the project, and the designers drew on these for the rest of the apartment. The bright red doors that lead from the living room to the guest bedroom were ‘a bit of a brainwave,’ admits James. Red is an auspicious colour in the East and it was important to the owner to have something prominent in bright red in the apartment, but when James and Saskia proposed crimson gloss doors, they weren't sure she'd agree. “99 out of 100 clients would have said no, but it's ended up being one of our favourite things in the apartment."
When the collaboration between designer and clients works well, it always produces the most organic, comfortable homes. “It was crucial that it didn't look like a designer had come in and done the lot,” says James, “it had to feel like the owner's home." To the owner, it certainly does: “none of the homes I have owned before this one, have given me reason to look at every corner, nook and cranny, every single day, and love all of it.”
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Christopher Horwood1/11The kitchen is painted in a bespoke shade of olive green. The pared-back panelling was designed to blend in with the industrial setting of the apartment.
Christopher Horwood2/11
Christopher Horwood3/11In the dining area, Gubi's ‘Beetle' chairs surround a mid-century dining table.
Christopher Horwood4/11The painting of pots is blue painted pots painting is by Francesca VH, an advertising creative and friend of the owner, who is also an emerging artist.
Christopher Horwood5/11The hallway on the left leads to the bathroom and bedroom.
Christopher Horwood6/11A view from the guest bedroom out to the kitchen.
Christopher Horwood7/11The guest bedroom looks through to the study below, which is accessed via spiral stairs leading down in the left corner, while the ladder leads up to a mezzanine. The day bed folds out to become a full size double bed, and is surrounded by bespoke joinery for storage, painted a cheerful pale blue. The throw on the bed is from Lisa Corti, while the pendant light is from Circa Lighting. The owner bought the Tibetan meditation rug from an antique dealer in Singapore.
Christopher Horwood8/11James and Saskia decided to add a grass-green carpet to the study area to warm the space up. The tiles are original to the tannery building.
Christopher Horwood9/11A throw from Lisa Corti covers the bed in the main bedroom. The paintings on the right are by the Finnish artist Håkan Brunberg; the owner inherited them from her grandparents.
Christopher Horwood10/11The walls of the bedroom are painted in Farrow & Ball's ‘Setting Plaster.’ Over the chest hangs a set of antique lithographs of phases of the moon, also from The Map House.
Christopher Horwood11/11In the bathroom, the panelling is painted in Farrow & Ball's ‘Arsenic’. Bert & May's 'Maison Decor' tiles line the floor.
