Daytrip combines historical features with contemporary furniture in Cloisters workspace
Design studio Daytrip aimed to create "an elevated warehouse reimagined for the modern age" when designing the Cloisters office in London, which juxtaposes Stuart-era details with pieces by modern designers.
Located in a historic building close to the Old Street roundabout in east London, the Cloisters workspace has lounges and meeting rooms as well as offices.
Daytrip aimed to create a welcoming interior for the workspace, using natural materials such as wood and leather and warm colours in tonal finishes.
"The concept for Cloisters was to create a light, informal, and welcoming workplace that feels like an elevated warehouse reimagined for the modern age, with subtle echoes of residential warmth," Daytrip co-founder Iwan Halstead told Dezeen.
Cloisters, which is a former school and comprises multiple buildings set around a central courtyard, is undergoing renovation, with phase one just completed.
Daytrip added a new entrance, reception, offices and circulation spaces to the 3,000-square-metre building.
The studio kept the building's historical details, which included renovated doors from England's Stuart era in the 17th and 18th century.
"Existing historic features – from exposed brick to timber columns – were preserved and celebrated, creating a meaningful dialogue between original character and modern interventions," Daytrip co-founder Emily Potter told Dezeen.
"This layering delivers purposeful tactility and subtle richness without overwhelming the inherent charm of the shell."
The renovated historic doors also set the tone for the interior palette of the space.
"The palette was understated yet purposeful – warm tones that echo the Victorian elements of the building, from the caramel umber hues of the glazed tiles discovered in the old school, now reflected in the rich upholstery fabrics of the furniture," Halstead said.
"Darker umber shades on the tabletops were carefully chosen to foster calm and focus, while also anchoring views toward the garden's lush greenery."
In the reception area, Daytrip contrasted the historical details with contemporary furniture pieces by French designer Philippe Malouin.
His chairs, upholstered in burgundy and aqua, add a touch of colour as well as a clean geometric shape to the space, where it is juxtaposed with the wooden Stuart doors and a rustic wooden coffee table.
The studio also added colour and a contemporary feel to the building through the use of artworks.
"Carefully curated bursts of colour in the artworks add interest and definition without disrupting the refined minimalism of the overall scheme – surprising moments of aqua, green, and vivid pink draw the eye," Potter explained.
"This palette creates continuity throughout the workspace while subtly differentiating zones, supporting wellbeing and reinforcing a connection to the natural world."
Daytrip has previously designed a number of office interiors, including an office for a media company that drew on mid-century-modern homes and the interior of the mass-timber Black & White Building in Shoreditch.
The studio said that with Cloisters, it wanted to return to a "back-to-basics" approach.
"In recent years, workspace design has shifted towards environments that prioritise flexibility, wellbeing, and community rather than rigid individual workstations in corporate, grey boxes," Halstead said.
"At Daytrip, we welcome this evolution, but we also recognise that many workplace interiors have become overly contrived — overly stylised, overly branded, or too eager to impress," he added.
"For Cloisters, we found it refreshing to return to a more honest, back-to-basics approach: enhancing the inherent beauty of a historic building with subtle, effective, and economical interventions."
The photography is by Simon Bevan.
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