The Modern House’s HQ in London by TDO architecture

TDO architecture has recently transformed an old 20th Century church hall in London‘s Southwark into a versatile workspace for The Modern House that celebrates light, material and the original fabric of the old building. As a speciality estate agent that looks after some of the world’s best designer homes (like this one and this one), The Modern House’s headquarters needed to capture the essence of great design which they’ve become synonymous for. OMG, the pressure, huh?! But no worries, TDO architecture rose to the occasion, who luckily had a great building to start with – the ground floor of a former church hall, St Alphege Hall, set within a mid-rise early 1930s brick building. The resulting 231 square metre office offers ample space to accommodate The Modern House’s growing staff while allowing for flexible use and the company’s developing cultural programme.

Having outgrown their old space in Islington, a former photography studio furnished with Mid-Century furniture and handmade desks by Turner Prize-winning architects Assemble, The Modern House set out to look for their new home – which was ideally to be an interesting building with high ceilings and lots of natural light. When they eventually found this new space, the interior had been empty for 18 months and was a bit ramshackle, with orange walls and scuffed up laminate flooring. Nice.

TDO were given a pretty simple brief – The Modern House team only asked that the office should be versatile enough for hosting parties, talks, and exhibitions, as well as leisure activities like yoga and film screenings for staff.

Utilising 3D modelling, TDO created a modular desk system for the main work area using black Valchromat panels. The desks can be demounted from the walls and re-arranged into various table formations to suit different office and event requirements. The key arrangement of the desks, however, is akin to a large kitchen table, around which all the staff sit, creating an increased sense of one team with an added benefit of fluidity and flexibility.

The rest of the surfaces were painted in contrasting white, while the original parquetry floors have been restored. The minimalist, architectural space is softened with an array of plants suspended from the ceiling, original paintings from The Modern House collections, and glass sphere lights which were found on site forming part of the original building fabric.

The rest of the interior feature smaller monochromatic rooms converted into a kitchen, a meeting area and breakout spaces for the staff. A pretty neat result.