London’s Old Street London gains a striking new residential landmark with The Factory London, a transformative loft duplex project by the acclaimed award-winning architecture and interior studio, McLaren.Excell. The studio has breathed new life into a former industrial space, creating a powerful dialogue between past and present.
Driven by a desire to honour the site’s industrial heritage, McLaren.Excell embarked on a radical approach. The design is deliberately unapologetically industrial design, stripping back decades of additions to reveal the building’s authentic skeleton and celebrate its factory origins.
The resulting minimalist spaces are defined by honesty and texture. Most dramatically, the apartment’s vast structural concrete beams were exposed, becoming the raw, sculptural heart of the duplex. Their powerful presence immediately anchors the space in its history.
This rugged foundation is masterfully layered with refined elements. Smooth, putty-coloured plaster walls provide a serene backdrop. Contrasting this, interventions in blackened steel are introduced – forming staircases, sleek wardrobe fronts, and minimalist kitchen units, adding a modern, graphic edge.
A restrained palette unifies the two floors, creating a pleasingly cohesive flow throughout. The warmth of Dinesen Douglas Fir flooring underfoot balances the industrial elements, while accents of cool Nordic Blue stone introduce organic sophistication and visual interest.
True to their holistic vision, McLaren.Excell extended their custom design expertise beyond the architecture. Key bespoke furniture pieces define the spaces: a monolithic blackened steel dining table and accompanying pendant lights command the dining area, both unique creations from the studio.
Further highlighting exquisite craftsmanship are sculptural stone pieces. An exquisitely curved Nordic Blue stone bench and matching coffee table act as functional art in the living zone. Even the bathrooms feature unique sandblasted stone basins, their textured surfaces echoing the building’s tactile narrative.
Generous fenestration floods the duplex with natural light, enhancing the visceral materiality of concrete, steel, wood, and stone. This interplay creates intriguing, light-filled spaces, transforming the raw structure into elegant, curated living spaces perfect for family and friends.
The Factory London by McLaren.Excell stands as a masterful industrial loft conversion. It transcends mere renovation, becoming a resonant exploration of industrial heritage reinterpreted through contemporary minimalist interior design and exceptional bespoke furniture, proving that raw honesty can be the ultimate luxury.