BY DANIEL BIANCHI, PARTNER

Like so many others, in mid-March I found myself working in a new office.

After a couple of weeks of logistical issues on the dining room table with my new work colleague/wife - I was relegated to a small white box of a room. I found myself staring at the four walls, pondering whether they would benefit from a lick of teal paint? Or even a deep terracotta? Once the paint job was done, next came a proper desk. Then a new lampshade. Then a mirror. Finally of course came the hanging plant.

With the correct adjustments, our homes can become great places to work which are comfortable, involve zero commuting(!) and connect us to nature. As a practice Cullinan Studio has been rethinking the rooms within our homes as multi-functional spaces - and discovered a lot of potential!

Our clients on LIVE/WORK HOUSE were ahead of the curve. We’ve recently been granted planning permission to reinvent this Victorian house in Islington, London, for the needs of home working (the existing house is shown above alongside the approved designs). Enlarging the existing rooms has allowed the whole family to work from home, whilst a striking timber staircase links these rooms together and adds a natural warmth. An extension means access to the large garden has been enabled on two levels, minimising the barrier between the inhabitants and the outdoors. A generous study with green roof has also been orientated to overlook the garden below. This zone 1 family home has never felt more linked to nature, creating a healthier connection between living and working for many years to come.

A History of Working from Home

For many of us ‘home’ used to be a recharge point; a place to bunker down in front of the TV and take refuge from the busyness of life. Now for many more of us, our work follows us in through the front door. According to many, this trend is here to stay. Home is still the place of rest but now also the place of production and play. In our houses we need to re-imagine office spaces to be productive and recreate the parks we used to walk in at lunch time to get away from it all. Curiously, the challenge of fitting this all under one roof is one Cullinan Studio has been embracing for many years.

Other houses re-energised for 21st Century living include our House in Hampstead and Artist’s House in Brixton.

For the house in Brixton, the typically small and dark Victorian rooms were opened up to create new spaces and introduce light throughout. Home working and space to celebrate artwork was enabled for the first time without compromising on better quality spaces for family togetherness. Having lived in the house for 12 years previously, the Cullinan Studio redesign changed the family’s lifestyle for the better as well;

“We are enjoying the house so much that Chris now works from home two or three days a week. Rather than a house built for a Victorian family, with seven kids in one room, our home serves modern family needs and habits. We finally have a space that suits the way we live and move around.”

In our House on the South Downs the occupants have enjoyed their experience the more the house has been lived in. A mixture of open plan living areas leading to smaller cosier rooms are all connected by a natural roof and their proximity to the surrounding hillside, meaning staying at home has been liberating rather than confining. Speaking of their time during the last eight months our client recently got in touch to say,

“The line between inside and outside is very thin now which is wonderful. … Being here is the most positive experience of this time and the house connects so well with nature.”

At Home in the Midlands

Many are claiming that a continuing trend in working from home will herald a reversal of the living patterns laid down during the industrial revolution. During the late 1700s and early 1800s we left our rural settings and all clumped together in cities to work in factories and then offices. In 2020, improved technology allows us to carry on working from home whilst being geographically dispersed around the country.

Cullinan Studio’s projects have always spanned the UK from north to south, but now we’re embracing the ability of our partners to be based around the country as well. Many of the team are now carrying our studio ethos and design culture outside of the capital. Cullinan Studio partner and architect Richard Pulford has recently relocated to the Midlands to enable us to make even more room for nature around the country.

This means we’re local, whether you live in Derby or Dalston.

How can we help your home work for you?