Daytrip Transforms Historic London Buildings Into Cloisters Workspace.

London’s Old Street is buzzing with tech energy, but step into Cloisters and you’ll find something completely different. Daytrip has taken a cluster of historic brick buildings and turned them into a 3,000-square-metre co-working space that makes you want to go to work.

The magic happens around a central courtyard with a living green wall that feels like a secret garden in the middle of the city. It’s the kind of space that makes you forget you’re just minutes from Silicon Roundabout’s chaos.

Daytrip founders Iwan Halstead and Emily Potter didn’t try to hide the building’s age—they celebrated it. The entrance sets the scene with original quarry tiles and exposed brick walls that tell stories. But the real stars are the restored Stuart-period doors with their hand-blown glass panels. These beauties filter light in the most gorgeous way and set the tone for everything else.

The Tallest Mass Timber Office Building in London by Waugh Thistleton Architects & Daytrip.

Designed to be recyclable so that it can be taken apart and put back together, there’s more to this Shoreditch building than its LEGO-ish nature.

The contemporary additions feel spot-on rather than forced. Philippe Malouin’s chairs in bold aqua and burgundy create perfect colour pops against all that historic brick. The oak reception desk has this rhythmic panel detail that just works, while felt wall hangings and chosen artworks add texture without overdoing it.

In the work areas, Daytrip found the existing radiant heating and cooling system and made it a feature instead of hiding it away. Smart move. The off-white screens they added diffuse the natural light beautifully while keeping that industrial vibe alive.

They’ve thought about the future too. Desks from Rawside Furniture pair with shell chairs made from recycled plastic, and everything’s designed to be fully recyclable when its time is up. The kitchenettes keep things simple in soft neutrals, while the breakout spaces mix Frama’s oak furniture with vintage pieces that invite you to actually relax.

Daytrip Studio's Pitch-perfect Approach to Bold & Unconventional Workplace Interior in London.

Daytrip Studio creates a new home for a media company in Clerkenwell, set over three floors of an 18th-Century industrial warehouse.

The courtyard got the Conservatory Archives treatment with large terracotta pots and plants that know how to behave. Even the signage is hand-painted straight onto the brick—none of that corporate nonsense here.

This isn’t another flexible workspace trying to be everything to everyone. Daytrip has created something that feels both professional and personal, where you can get work done without losing your soul. It’s proof that good design doesn’t need to shout to make its point.

Note Design Studio's Convention-busting Interior for Flexible London Workspace.

The connection between our environments, our emotions and our productivity has become increasingly clear, and the awareness of this relationship has informed Note’s concept for Douglas House.

[Images courtesy of Daytrip. Photography by Simon Bevan.]