NO 26

Commissioned by Native, The Vawdrey House has transformed the interior of this former 1960s office block in East Croydon into a flagship rental community. Comprising 183 studio, one, two and three-bedroom options, the apartments are let fully furnished and are supported by relaxed urban and creative communal areas.

The brief was to design the interiors for this unique, built-to-rent scheme, creating communal areas that would encourage community-spirit, and individual apartments that could transition easily from ‘rentals’ to homes.

Ground and first floors feature an extensive selection of lounge and co-working spaces, designed to complement the apartments. Luxurious soft seating, desking and work pods offer the opportunity to combine work-life balance with urban living. In addition, there is a ‘dining room’ area, with a kitchen, which tenants can use for dinner parties, and an internal ‘courtyard’ which provides space for events.

Within the apartments, The Vawdrey House influenced the layouts and injected personality through the design of everything from kitchens, bathrooms and floor finishes to decoration, lighting and furniture. A range of materials, colour palettes and furniture schemes ensure each apartment has its own identity and that the living spaces offer a cool, contemporary, but above all a homely feel. Being a former office building, No26 came with its challenges, but these have been solved creatively and the result is an interior which encourages a sense of community and an atmosphere in which people can ‘kick their shoes off’ and feel at home from the moment they walk through the main entrance.