The façade of this Victorian townhouse on an anonymous yet attractively-cobbled street in London’s East End is fairly nondescript, resembling countless other workshops that can be found in the industrious neighbourhood off Bethnal Green Road, albeit a smartly painted one.
But step through the wide wooden warehouse doors of the former carpenter’s studio of No2 Voss Street and one finds themselves in a bespoke rental property which is anything but run-of-the-mill. Designed by Jack Mama and Nina Tolstrup of Studiomama, the property is of a size estate agents like to label “cosy” – there’s only one bedroom but thanks to some inventive use of space four people can get their heads down here on a short or long-term basis – and, from £700 per week, it’s a welcome alternative to the capital’s pricey hotels.
Perhaps as a nod to its former use, or perhaps to the current fashions, the place is full of wood; pale planks come together everywhere to create and divide living areas and Studiomama have aimed for (and hit) an urban Scandinavian feel. East End gentrification of the best kind.