Bringing the changing gradient of the desert sunset to south London, Locke’s signature functional living rooms on the upper floors are dipped in blue, beige and grey hues, with saturated vibrant reds on the lower floors. The studio has designed bespoke modular sofas, handmade using sand mixed with resin lay-up to recreate the desert’s tonality, complemented by rough-sawn timber flooring.
Concrete destined for landfill serves as plinths for a six-metre long terrazzo table in the ground floor workspace, shaped into a bar frontage that will serve beer from Bermondsey’s Beer Mile. Repurposed steel rebar and clay bricks form decorative ironwork and joinery elements throughout the space.
‘A circular material economy was central to the design process, harnessing upcycling potential to create bespoke furniture and interiors throughout the space – as an example, we recycled concrete strength-testing cubes to create impactful table plinths in the coworking area, and the bar front in the restaurant, referencing rocky desert outcrops,’ says Alex. ‘We love the humble story of these waste elements, each cube having a unique sand/cement mix, numbered and dated with distinctive handwriting.’