If a quaint country cottage sits at one end of the interiors style spectrum, this London flat is firmly at the other. All soaring ceilings, vast open space, and not a nook or cranny in sight, this light-filled home occupies the ground floor of Dehavilland Studios, a striking 1930s Art Deco building in Hackney – and it is now for sale.
Aesthetically, the nearly 2,000-sq-ft flat is situated somewhere between a cinematic villain's lair, a slick 2010s bachelor pad and Anne Hathaway's impossibly cool open-plan office in The Intern. The latter might be the most fitting; just like the film's Brooklyn workspace, this building once served as a factory – but not for phone books.
Designed by engineer Sir Owen Williams, the site was used during World War II as a 'shadow factory' – a government-funded manufacturing plant for war goods – producing aircraft components away from more obvious military targets.
According to The Modern House, the estate agency handling the sale, parts for 'The Mosquito' were made here – the famous lightweight aircraft designed by aviation pioneer Sir Geoffrey de Havilland.
Today, the building is an impressive surviving example of London's modernist architecture. Award-winning developer Hollybrook later transformed its cavernous interiors into a collection of loft-style apartments while retaining much of the building's original character.
The flat is accessed via a gated entrance, with the front door opening directly into the main living area. From here, the apartment unfolds into a series of interconnected, highly flexible living spaces. At the rear is a streamlined L-shaped kitchen, finished with a glossed mosaic-tiled splashback, granite surfaces and minimal white cabinetry.
The only structural – and most dramatic – intervention is the mezzanine level suspended above the main space. A sculptural spiral staircase rises through the centre of the apartment, creating a striking focal point against the otherwise expansive interior.
Upstairs, the mezzanine contains the more private areas of the home. There are two bedrooms – although one is currently arranged as a second living room – alongside a bathroom, featuring a walk-in shower and green mosaic tiles that echo those used in the kitchen.
Crittall-style screens serve to divide the rooms from the landing, while enormous floor-to-ceiling windows draw natural light deep into the apartment.
'Towering Crittall windows epitomise the warehouse-style architectural aesthetic of the building, standing as a major part of East London's industrial heritage and highly sought after by artists and photographers,' adds a spokesperson for The Modern House.
For anyone who prefers dramatic industrial architecture to cottagecore charm, this could be one of London's more unusual homes on the market.
Flat IV at Dehavilland Studios is on the market with The Modern House for an asking price of £1.25 million.
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