Exchange Flat | Sustainable Flat Retrofit in London

London’s Spitalfields is a vibrant area of dense urban development with a rich history of commerce around its open-air market. It is an engaging place to live but, unlike most other places in London, has few parks or open green spaces. This situation became the inspiration for the renovation of a flat in which we speculated with the client; could we bring the atmosphere of their New England forest home into this converted industrial flat?

We imagined a variety of ways in which a garden could be brought into the flat and installed living walls along one half of the main living space. These are automatically irrigated and planted with ferns and herbaceous wildflowers reminiscent of a forest floor. The impact of all these plants, raised up into a wall, where they can be seen up close, is considerable. The greenery is integrated into the domestic setting by shelving units that run through the wall built from blackened mild steel. Additional furniture elements, such as bedside tables and an entry bench with shoe storage are also built from blackened steel and timber.

Lighting for the flat was custom-made from laser cut steel panels using patterns based on images of light filtering through tree branches. These were employed in strip, pendant and wall lights and used to cast organic patterns on the ceiling.

Location: Central - East London (Spitafields)

Property type: Modern dwelling

Scope: Interior renovation of a converted flat in Spitalfields, London, integrating biophilic design principles through the installation of living walls, custom joinery, and bespoke lighting to transform a compact urban home into a nature-inspired living environment.

Key Features:

• Biophilic interior design bringing nature into a dense urban flat

• Integrated living walls with automated irrigation system

• Forest-inspired planting scheme using ferns and wildflowers

• Custom blackened steel shelving and furniture integrated into wall system

• Bespoke lighting design inspired by dappled forest canopy light

• Timber and steel material palette for durability and contrast

• Space-saving integrated joinery including seating, storage, and shelving

• Improved indoor wellbeing through greenery, texture, and natural light effects

• Transformation of industrial flat into a nature-connected urban home

Project Results:

• Introduced continuous indoor greenery

• Enhanced spatial quality

• Created a self-sustaining planting system

• Transformed a former industrial interior into a calm, nature-led living environment

• Improved light quality and ambience

• Delivered a fully integrated biophilic home interior

Photography: Agnese Sanvito