A raspberry-red spiral staircase connects communal areas at this office development in London, designed by local studio SODA to reference the art deco style of the building it occupies.
SODA was commissioned by developer Great Portland Estates (GPE) to transform the ground and lower-ground floors of its latest workspace in Fitzrovia, called Nineteen Wells Street.
The workspace is set within a heritage-listed art deco building constructed in 1929 by wallpaper and fabric design company Sanderson to house its design studio, offices and showroom.
The building retained its striking facade but had been completely stripped back internally, so SODA designed a series of spaces that reintroduce references to this art deco heritage.
“Throughout the project, we worked hand-in-hand with GPE to embrace the defining spirit of art deco, which includes strong lines, bold gestures and expressive forms, while ensuring the overall language remains timeless,” said SODA lead architect Mel Athanasiou.
The client’s brief called for a welcoming, timeless and considered space with unexpected moments, prompting a proposal that blends residential and hospitality influences to create a relaxed atmosphere with the required robustness.
A pared-back palette of warm, neutral materials provides a simple backdrop for more expressive elements featuring saturated colours and sculptural, custom-made details that evoke aspects of art deco.
“Hand-crafted joinery and bespoke detailing root the design firmly in the tradition of London craftsmanship,” Athanasiou pointed out.
“The result is a workplace deeply connected to its context: past and present, building and neighbourhood, elegance and ease. A landmark reborn with a contemporary edge, yet unmistakably Fitzrovian.”
The building’s large, street-facing windows reveal glimpses of a workspace on one side of the ground floor and a shared lounge and reception area on the other, which is enveloped on two sides by a monumental bookcase.
The bookcase extends across both levels, creating a sense of visual cohesion in partnership with the red staircase that spirals down to the lower ground floor.
The staircase’s punchy red hue recurs across other metalwork elements and in the kitchen areas, providing a consistent element that ties the scheme together.
The lower ground level has a darker, moodier atmosphere, with a palette centred around a deep green hue that helps to create a more intimate feel in spaces such as a snug intended for focused collaboration.
A large existing column clad with red tiles anchors a bar counter with a large stone worktop. Next to this kitchen space is a shared boardroom that receives natural light from one of several newly introduced light wells.
SODA worked with manufacturer Floor Story to create custom rugs for the boardroom and the ground-floor social space. Their geometric patterns combine art deco forms with nods to the interior scheme’s colour palette and other details.
SODA was founded in 2012 by Laura Sanjuan and Russell Potter.
The practice previously converted a 1970s office block into a residential building with co-living style amenities, and used a colour palette informed by spices for the interior of a cafe that specialises in serving chai tea.
The photography is by David Wilman.
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