Inside a penthouse apartment in one of the East End’s first warehouse conversions
Towering ceilings, open plan living spaces, and a Mediterranean-inspired roof terrace make this loft a city dwellers dream
Spratt’s dog biscuit factory might not sound like the most elegant of settings. But it's an iconic building, one of London's East End’s original warehouse conversions in fact. It was converted in studios in the early 1980s by a group of artists – many of whom still live and work from the building now.
So it's a creative hub at heart, home to painters, sculptures, writers and filmmakers – the interior and exterior are often used as filming locations too. Therefore, it's no surprise that the penthouse apartment, perched onto top of the building amongst the leafy roof terrace has been transformed into a beautiful, light-filled modern home that reflects the artistic, eccentricity of the old factory's history.
Kitchen
Walking into the apartment, you instantly get that light-filled open space that's synonymous with loft living. The double-height pitched roof towers above the open plan living area, and the high-level windows and roof lights stream sunlight into the space.
The kitchen itself sits underneath a mezzanine level, so there's a coziness as the ceilings are lower than anywhere else in the home. It also helps zone the kitchen, it feels slightly separate from the living room and the dining area almost like it's a room within a larger room.
Sliding doors bring in even more light and take you out onto the private roof terrace. The whitewashed, walls, floors, and ceilings bounce the natural light around the space, so even on cloudy days it still feels sunny up here.
- Find more modern kitchen ideas in our gallery.
Living room
The living room sits adjacent to the kitchen. The dark shades used over this side of the space, give in a more intimate feel, and again the space is cleverly broken up with a simple shelving unit that acts as a 'wall' between the two spaces.
The furniture in the living room is low-slung to accentuate those high ceilings. A mirrored disco ball hangs in the center of the ceiling, adding an unexpected quirk but also creating a lovely light show across the whole living space when the sunlight hits it.
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- Be inspired by more of our modern living room ideas.
Home office
Adjoining the main reception room is a wrap-around conservatory that's used as a home office and a ceramics studio. The totally glazed room provides the perfect, inspiring work spot. Fun colors and layers of textures contrast the clean lines and structure of the glass extensions, turning it into a cozy and creative space.
- Find more stylish home office ideas in our gallery.
Hallway
A soft pink staircase leads up the second floor where the main bedroom and mezzanine level are situated.
Bedroom
The bedroom is a really dramatic space, you can really see the effect of the high windows and double-height ceilings in here. Again the furniture is kept low to the ground to highlight the original features of the room.
A third floor, that's used as a dressing room, can be seen through the statement circular window.
- See all our modern bedroom ideas.
Roof terrace
A lovely sun trap of a roof terrace wraps around one side of the apartment, with amazing views over the iconic city skyline and the surrounding rooftops. There's a very Mediterranean vibe up here, with groups of terracotta pots and exotic plants, grasses, and herbs.
The building also has a large communal rooftop garden that can be enjoyed by all the residents. The perfect spot to bounce around creative ideas (or get the BBQ going and enjoy an aperitif...).
Like what you see? Limehouse Cut is currently listed for sale with The Modern House.
Hebe is the Digital Editor of Livingetc; she has a background in lifestyle and interior journalism and a passion for renovating small spaces. You'll usually find her attempting DIY, whether it's spray painting her whole kitchen, don't try that at home, or ever changing the wallpaper in her hallway. Livingetc has been such a huge inspiration and has influenced Hebe's style since she moved into her first rental and finally had a small amount of control over the decor and now loves being able to help others make decisions when decorating their own homes. Last year she moved from renting to owning her first teeny tiny Edwardian flat in London with her whippet Willow (who yes she chose to match her interiors...) and is already on the lookout for her next project.
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