- Reception Interior Design
- Management office
- Events space, lounge and co-working spaces
- Full furniture, accessories and joinery design
- Liam Russell Architects & Arcus PCD
Conveniently located minutes from East Croydon station and the local destination BOXPARK, No26 forms part of an extensive renaissance of the area. It included the addition of six new storeys to the 1960s office building and a total internal refurbishment.
Native was keen to give No26 its own identity. Working with Liam Russell Architects, and Arcus PCD who were constructing the building, The Vawdrey House drew on the urban feel of the scheme and location, and the mid-century background of the building and site.
You can see the individual apartments we created in our separate pages here...
As an existing building, it came with constraints of structure and floor-to-ceiling heights. Time was taken to understand the project requirements and find exciting, practical solutions for the interior, from layout to fittings, furniture and accessories.
From the moment residents enter the light-filled atrium, they are greeted with a warm, eclectic environment. The colour palette and use of exposed structure and services combine to create a contemporary, urban space.
Although the space is quite raw in places, the sensitive use of pattern and decorative elements, such as pendant lighting, tiles, wallpaper and artwork, ensure that the atmosphere is always welcoming, and never cold.
The key move in the reception and atrium was punching through a new staircase from ground floor to the mezzanine above. This takes the form of an industrial treadplate spiral wrapped in expanded mesh. Now residents can walk straight up to the lounge and co-working spaces without using the lifts, making the space more homely and connected.
These communal spaces on the ground and first floor create multiple meeting, lounging and working spaces for residents, and marry a number of styles, ensuring there is something for everyone.
The concierge desk has a hint of ‘Victorian tube station’ with glossy green embossed tiling set against a backdrop of black-stained plywood and exposed concrete from the original 60’s building.
The mezzanine lounge features a bio-ethanol fireplace and library, with a back drop of William Morris wallpaper.
Even the post boxes have been customised as galvanised lockers and the flooring features tessellating rhomboid tiles which lead from the doors to the lifts or stairs.
The foliage-filled internal ‘courtyard’ provides flexible space for events, yoga and even cinema nights, using the built-in projector.
In the co-working lounge, luxurious soft seating, bench desking and individual work pods offer an opportunity to combine work-life balance with urban living, whether tenants are commuting or working from home.
The building has exceeded all Native's letting targets and was at almost full occupancy within the first months of release.
The Vawdrey House has been crucial in helping us to design a building that encourages residents to socialise, but also allows them the freedom to feel at home. We don’t want our residents to just live in Croydon, we want them to feel part of this community from the moment they step into their new apartment.
Photography by James Bedford
Other projects
Who we are expand_more expand_less
The Vawdrey House is a multi-award winning RIBA Chartered Practice which offers a dynamic combination of bespoke design, strategic thinking and creative flair. We bring both architecture and interior design together to create unique, beautiful spaces which work for you from the inside out.
Our clients are always at the heart of our ‘top to toe’ design approach.
We work closely with you from the outset, leading you through the design stages, providing support at each stage and following everything through so that even the smallest details are considered and refined.
This is what we believe makes a great design even better.
Whether for a refurbishment or new build; a residential or commercial space, we take the time to get to know you, understand your requirements, and find clever, exciting solutions to your brief.
Our design-led, holistic approach means we always asses how the whole building works and how it is used. We explore functional and layout changes to improve the way the spaces work together. We design the exterior architecture, internal layouts and all the interior design right down to the lighting, fittings, furniture and accessories.
Working across London, the South East and beyond, we have a wealth of experience working with complex sites and period buildings with heritage protection. We approach each project with a combination of creative vision and sensitive pragmatism; always searching to get the very best from a building.
Directors Jennifer Hamilton, Graeme Montague and Ian Chapman have a combined experience in the industry of nearly 70 years. Together with our strong, enthusiastic team of architects and designers, we bring an invaluable level of professionalism and creativity to the design and management of your project.
The Vawdrey House has an exciting portfolio of inspiring spaces and happy clients. We are passionate about what we do and most of all, want you to love it too.
Close affiliations with brand consultants plus graphic and web design teams mean we can also provide a fully coordinated scheme for your retail or business space, down to website, menus or signage, whatever is required.
We work closely with you throughout, following everything through to the smallest detail, and helping you through the process.
We are design-led, and like to review the way the whole building works, understanding how you use the spaces and suggesting functional and layout changes to improve the way the spaces work together. We design the exterior architecture, the internal layouts and all the interior design and fittings, right down to furniture and accessories.
We progress the design in stages, working up the outline usually with a multitude of options in the first instance, then gradually firm up the scheme as you clarify which direction you want to go in.
Once we have the overall scheme in place we work into the detail and start to specify every element, ending in a production package incorporating everything you need to tender and construct the project.
We can also manage the entire process for you, putting together the project team, gaining planning consent and party wall awards, finding contractors, tendering the works, managing the building contract and monitoring the works on site.
We stick with you to the end, ensuring all snagging is resolved, and produce a completion pack with all necessary certificates, guarantees, maintenance and supplier contact info so you have everything in one place.
Have a browse through our latest projects and see the end results!
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