The East London real estate market is hot property at the moment, so maximising one's space is a clever move for the savvy homeowner. Which is exactly what the founder of the Roman Road Gallery just did, opting to commission emerging London practice Threefold architects to both redesign and expand their space in the heart of Bethnal Green.
The brief was challenging, which the architects, headed by Matthew Driscoll, Jack Hosea and Renee Searle, fully embraced. The client – the gallery's owner and curator – needed to create a new art space which would be linked to their house and garden. The two wings – art and residential – needed to connect effortlessly, as parts of the house should be able to act as an extension of the gallery, when needed.
The site was narrow, knitting together an existing two storey Victorian workshop and a former commercial premises. The redesign involved a complete transformation and unification of these buildings, with the addition of a single story extension in 'contrasting back bricks and glass', they explain.
The building opens onto a brick paved courtyard, making this a great clearing for sculpture display. A material palette of masonry walls and corten metal panels hint to the site's industrial heritage. This outdoors area can be directly accessible from the street via bespoke brick entrance gates, which when shut, appear near-invisible.
A dark, folded steel staircase leads up to the office space and private viewings room. The client's bedroom and bathroom are also on this level, discretely hidden from view.
Merging natural, tactile materials with large openings and airy, double height spaces, this new live/work project combines art and home life in seamless harmony.
The project occupies an existing two storey Victorian workshop and a more recent former commercial premises
A kitchen and dinning area sit at the space where the art world and the client’s home intersect
A glazed extension accomodates further exhibition space looking out to a courtyard
The courtyard was designed as a space to showcase sculpture, but will also be used as the client’s private garden
The gallery’s offices are situated on the structure’s first level
The architects used natural, tactile materials throughout, such as natural coloured timber, dark metal and brick
INFORMATION
For more information on Threefold visit the website
-
Where Saltie Girl met SweetBoy: how an LA pastry chef and his Boston restaurateur mother accidentally created a family businessThe collaboration between foodie duo Kathy and Ben Sidell sprinkles sugar dust over a West Hollywood haunt
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Rwanda’s Wilderness Bisate Reserve: ‘There are few lodges more magical than this’Located south of Volcanoes National Park, the exclusive Wilderness Bisate Reserve caters equally to sybarites and the gorilla-obsessed
-
Paris Fashion Week Men’s A/W 2025 highlights: Auralee to Louis VuittonParis Fashion Week Men’s A/W 2025 began yesterday with Pharrell Williams’ celebration of a ‘friendship for life’ with streetwear legend Nigo. Reporting from Paris, Wallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss picks the best of the week, as it unfolds
-
This revamped east London terraced house is a music lover’s dreamAn east London terraced house gets a boost of personality and sustainability thanks to Archmongers, whose transformation makes room for the owners’ creativity and extensive record collection
-
This elegant infill project slots beautifully into the London streetscapeIn this infill project, a row of garages in Blackheath, south-east London, has been replaced by a contemporary family home by local practice Mailen Design
-
Don’t Move, Improve 2025: the 14 London homes adding design oomph to the everydayThe shortlist for Don’t Move, Improve 2025 has been announced, revealing 14 residential projects across London that add value and pizazz to their inhabitants’ daily lives
-
Space House: explore the brutalist London landmark’s new chapterSpace House, a landmark of brutalist architecture by Richard Seifert & Partners in London’s Covent Garden, is back following a 21st-century redesign by Squire & Partners and developer Seaforth Land
-
Fire-damaged Walworth Town Hall shows off majestic transformationWalworth Town Hall gets a much-needed reimagining by Feix & Merlin, who transformed the heritage building into a contemporary workspace and a hub of its local community in south London
-
Hanif Kara on building materials, the transition from old to new, and a healthy dose of realismHanif Kara, co-founder of structural engineering practice AKT II, discusses building materials and the future of sustainability
-
Year in review: the top 12 houses of 2024, picked by architecture director Ellie StathakiThe top 12 houses of 2024 comprise our finest and most read residential posts of the year, compiled by Wallpaper* architecture & environment director Ellie Stathaki
-
A brutalist garden revived: the case of the Mountbatten House grounds by Studio Knight StokoeTour a brutalist garden redesign by Studio Knight Stokoe at Mountbatten House, a revived classic in Basingstoke, UK
