Warehouse Conversion in East London Sees Total Potential
Most interior designers take in the whole area before focusing on the details of a job, but Cassidy Hughes simply couldn’t take her eyes off the floors of this warehouse in London’s East End. Warped with heavy indentations, the home’s original wood floors show its age and background as both a millinery factory and textile warehouse. “There are a great deal of unique grooves and nicks. It’s possible to spend hours imagining what triggered them,” says Hughes.
This industrial unit is located smack dab in the midst of a small cobbled road dating back to 1866, surrounded by a hodgepodge of other small businesses and residential buildings, a bar and a school. Views in this part of east London are peppered with large rises, construction sites and large cranes, but Hughes loves the neighborhood is in the midst of a transformation. “People are always shocked to see that this unit’s inside after walking through the disorder of the road under,” she says.
at a Glance
Who lives here: An Italian businessman in his early 30s
Location: Whitechapel, East London, United Kingdom
Size: 700 square feet
AFTER: Hughes left the exposed red brick as is, removed present flooring varnishes and had them re-stained and refinished. She left each of the first floor’s flaws and indentations. “My customer loves the first flooring’s warping and the apartment’s big original windows,” she says.
Before Photo
BEFORE: The flooring reveals its age, and also the snowy fuse box sticks out and requires away our attention from the first floors and exposed brick walls. In the remodel, Hughes and her staff painted the fuse box using blackboard paint, enabling it to combine with the new kitchen appliances along with dark cabinetry.
Before Photo
Cassidy Hughes Interior Design & Styling
BEFORE: Prior tothe remodel, the kitchen has been a clashing medley: a green backsplash and blue cabinetry take any of their first unit’s charm and personality.
Cassidy Hughes Interior Design & Styling
AFTER: Industrial lighting, black cabinetry from Ikea and a range stove in onyx offer the kitchen a brand new, contemporary-industrial appearance.
Hughes mixes new and old in the open plan kitchen, dining area and living room. She pairs a pre-loved German beer garden table and seat with classic chairs located in Speedies Vintage. A lime green Ligne Roset Ruché sofa adds layers and color in more feel to the space.
“Regardless of the open floor plan, my customer still cooks and doesn’t mind when scents waft to other parts of the house. He’s got a big range cooker along with an American sized fridge. There’s always some kind of activity happening in this region, while it’s cooking or entertaining,” says Hughes.
Fridge: Gorenje; range cooker: Leisure; mild pendants: Elemental Vintage
String lights wrap around the electric casing, along with a cheeky print and an indoor potted plant warm up the spaces that are entertaining.
Before Photo
Cassidy Hughes Interior Design & Styling
BEFORE: A bookshelf and outdated radiator created the narrow hallway feel claustrophobic.
Cassidy Hughes Interior Design & Styling
AFTER: Hughes substituted the light fixtures with hanging lightbulbs, which extend the industrial soul of this space. She removed the bookshelves and radiator, so letting the hallway extend. Hughes transformed the space taken up by the shelving components to a coat and hat rack along with a gallery wall in the making.
Before Photo
Cassidy Hughes Interior Design & Styling
BEFORE: Hughes and her customer just couldn’t get beyond the blue toilet seat cover, the strange placement of a handle bar and drab tiling, so the designer remodeled the whole tub and went with a completely new and contemporary design.
AFTER: She adores the elegant and rich look of the toilet, which includes under-floor heating and upgraded fixtures. Large metallic flooring tiles provide a nod to the industrial legacy of this warehouse.
The designer discovered a wonderful surprise throughout the bathroom remodel. “We discovered the wood flooring underneath the tile and utilized a few of the floorboards as kitchen and guest bedroom shelving,” says Hughes.
Flooring tiles: cetate bronze natural metallic, Material Lab;
sink, mirror, shelving: Edwins Bathrooms; torch light: Established & Sons
The present master bedroom didn’t have exposed brick; Hughes suggested exposing the brick for more feel but had to “balance the client’s need for a clean, minimalist appearance” in the bedroom.
After exposing the brick, Hughes and her staff painted the wall multiple times in varying shades of white to make it seem like it had been present. The white walls and mirrored wardrobes create the illusion of a larger space and a contemporary bed with built-in drawers provides the customer more storage options.
Everything You Want to Know Before Painting Brick
Copper pendant: Tom Dixon; cushions: Jenni Desmond; bed: BoConcept
The spare bedroom contested the designer the most. “Because of its strange shape and size, it had been hard to create the guest bedroom a more practical space. The room perplexed the previous owners so much they simply used it as a cupboard and dumping area,” she says.
But her customer had different suggestions for the bedroom. He desired a multi-purpose space that may morph into a guest bedroom but still possess the daily functionality of a tiny little home office and storage area.
Hughes started the closet-bedroom’s transformation by putting a little vintage desk in 1 corner, with overhead shelving built from the bathroom’s salvaged floorboards for extra storage. She also set up a classic factory wall sconce within the desk, maintaining the industrial appearance of the remainder of the apartment.
A midcentury inspired sofa bed in tailored and versatile gray transitions from sofa to a bed for 2.
“My client and I always knew that his house had so much potential, but the end result far exceeded our expectations,” says Hughes.
Sofa bed: Yoko, Made; chair and desk: Blitz Vintage; publish: Shepard Fairey’s “Obey,” Nelly Duff Gallery; pillow: New York at Night, SCP