Sutton Yard

Sutton Yard is a light-filled conversion of a 1960s concrete and brick office building in Clerkenwell, one of London’s most established creative districts. Our brief was to design the second floor as the practice’s London studio: a space that would bring the whole team together and fundamentally rethink how we work.

The existing plan comprises three distinct wings around an open central space. We arranged three working studios in the wings and placed a flexible ‘town square’ at the heart of the floor, used for meetings, meals, collaboration, presentations and events. Fewer desks than staff encourage movement and interaction, embedding a more agile and open way of working across the practice.

The ‘kitchen table’, a bespoke modular system of plywood benches and mobile tables, can be reconfigured for any occasion. A ‘working wall’ accommodates flexible display and storage, and multiple touchdown areas offer informal alternatives to fixed workstations. We designed all the furniture and workstations specifically for the practice, ensuring a consistent character across every element of the fit-out.

The building’s sand-blasted concrete surfaces provided the material starting point. We built on these with stained ash, lacquered plywood and woven flooring, carrying these materials through into the bespoke furniture and giving the space a warm, considered character.

The studio works as both a productive workplace and a demonstration of what we believe design can achieve: spaces that make collaboration feel natural and working life genuinely rewarding.