A hidden warehouse apartment in the heart of Shoreditch, east London

[Celerity]

https://www.themodernhouse.com/journal/listing-of-the-week-warehouse-apartment-east-london/











There are many draws to life in a warehouse conversion: they usually have long lateral living spaces, large light-welcoming windows and the right amount of industrial charm. The best kind, in our opinion, are ones with walls that tell stories of their past but aren’t stuck there. Instead, they’ve been given a new lease of life through contemporary interventions and an aesthetically pleasing scheme. This two-bedroom apartment in Shoreditch, east London, is a case in point – and, having just come on the market, it could be yours.









Perhaps it’s unsurprising that somewhere called Brick Lane has a rich manufacturing history. It was named after the brick kilns introduced here by early Flemish settlers in the 16th century, before cementing itself as a destination for silk weaving and garment making in the 17th. Around the same time, it became the epicentre of a booming alcohol industry when the area’s largest warehouse, the Old Truman Brewery, was established in 1666. (Now known as simply Truman’s Brewery, it holds market stalls selling food and vintage clothes.) Naturally, then, the area is brimming with industrial buildings and – while we might be slightly biased – we think the one holding this apartment is a cut above the rest.









One of the reasons it’s so remarkable is the unassuming façade. Located on Heneage Street, it shares a uniform with its Victorian neighbours: the bottom half of the building has been painted a refined shade of dark green, while the upper part features exposed golden brick. If you have the code to the first door, however, you’re in for a treat: it leads to a communal courtyard filled with thriving native plants and tropical trees alike, evoking the feeling that you’ve stumbled across a secret garden of sorts. In fact, this is where you’ll find the entrance to the apartment, which comprises a galvanised-steel front door surrounded with steel-framed glazing.











Inside, the sense of volume and space is second to none. The bright and airy rooms are spread over three floors, which include a lower-ground level and a mezzanine that overlooks the main living area. Here lies a space-maximising double-height ceiling and another set of steel-framed windows; these ones soar to the top of the apartment and feed it with natural light. Both bedrooms have been ideally tucked away on the lower level, making them feel secluded and perfect for rest. But they also have access to a second garden: a leafy sunken terrace, a lovely lush spot where it’s easy to forget you’re in the thick of the East End.

snip

[marble falls]

1. I liked the fact I only saw on TV (shown in two photos) and it wasn't staring at the room in ...

... a dominant place.

[Celerity]

2. 2 tellies

[marble falls]

3. I saw that one as a piece of art. One beautiful apartment I wouldn't do much to change past the ...

... intermediate steel door glazed in steel at the dining area. I'd have glass or Lexan in that by the end of the day.

[wackadoo wabbit]

4. As I was looking at the photos, I was thinking, "This won't be cheap"

But it's more expensive than I even imagined. £1,800,000. Now that, as they say, is a chunk of change.

[nuxvomica]

5. I want be there!

What I love about this apartment is the obvious solidity of the construction. The underlying structure is visible and sturdy looking. My ongoing complaint about post-Modern architecture is the way materials are used in unexpected and anxiety-producing ways, the worst and most ubiquitous example being glass handrails on stairs and balconies. "Form follows function" was always the byword in architecture from ancient times through Modernism and along came Post-Modernism to screw everything up, like with that theatre that looks like a crumpled piece of tinfoil. It may actually be sturdy enough but it's ugly because it doesn't look safe.

[debm55]

6. That is lovely. Thank you for posting the pictures.

[lucca18]

7. Wow! Love this!😍❤️

[GenThePerservering]

8. I like the garden areas more than the apt

which seems sterile, save for the excellent beams in the ceiling.

Brick Lane is OK - used to be less gentrified and better.

[Ocelot II]

9. I don't love the kitchen but the rest of it is really nice.