Build-for-rent developments will have to up their game if they’re going to match the offering at The Eades in London’s Walthamstow. With 495 apartments, including studios, one-, and two-bedroom homes and plenty of communal spaces, including for co-working, The Eades has been designed with tenants’ wellbeing in mind.
Commissioned to work on the amenity spaces that span several floors, Amsterdam studio Nicemakers took the neighbourhood as a starting point, translating its architectural language and colour palette into a layered and nuanced design. “We drew inspiration from both physical and emotional sources – the architecture, the nearby wetlands and the legacy of Walthamstow’s own William Morris, alongside the spirit and energy of the local community,” explains Lotti Lorenzetti, head of design at Nicemakers. “We wanted the design and the overall experience to feel natural rather than imposed, shaped by how people live, connect and belong.”
Those renting at The Eades will have access to a generous and comfortable lobby, a co-working space, state-of-the-art gym, yoga studio, treatment rooms, residents’ kitchen and dining room, and a roof terrace. Materials are given special consideration throughout, most spectacularly in the spiral staircase at the heart of the lobby created in antique brass and walnut; there is also Calacatta Viola marble and cork flooring from UK-based Recork. “Rather than a strict design thread, we focused on creating distinct experiences in each space that encourage an emotional response, because the way someone experiences a gym should feel very different to the way they gather in a lounge,” adds Lorenzetti.
Furniture choices are rooted in British craft and London heritage. Floral-upholstered armchairs from Love Your Home sit alongside bespoke pouffes and benches by Nicemakers, which are upholstered in Kirkby Design’s ‘Underground’ fabric – a playful reference to the capital’s transport iconography. Rugs come courtesy of London-based studio Floor Story.
The co-working area, located on the first floor, offers residents a professional yet relaxed environment for everyday use. Bespoke desks are paired with green powder-coated lighting and glassbrick-like privacy screens. Timber shelving, felt-lined booths and acoustic panels by Impact Acoustic introduce tactility while mitigating intrusive noise. A central kitchen with a long island clad in deep-red glazed tiles forms the focal point and doubles as a worktable, flanked by pale timber stools. Beyond, a flexible events area is designed to support talks, workshops and additional workspace. All in all, it’s an elevated space that responds to our increased desire for mindful interiors, communal spaces rooted in their locale and the option to do a good day’s work right on our doorstep.
Find out more information about The Eades here. Alternatively, head over to their Instagram here.
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