Hackney Road, East, London, E2

Architecture & Interior.

Artform Group along with Manalo + White conceived a design-led scheme to push the boundaries of conventional development and celebrate chic interiors with handcrafted finishes.

Outside, the sharp modern brick facade wraps around a small, gated apartment block at this stylish architectural

statement on the city fringe. Inside, the design dynamics are centred around warm tones and soft industrial elements.

A concrete stairwell with painted blockwork walls takes you from the building's main entrance up to the first level. Entering the apartment you'll find subtle design details like oversized doors, wall mounted conduits, and an exposed concrete ceiling in the generous open-plan living room.

Natural rubber flooring in a polished-Terrazzo finish covers the entire 754 sq ft and marries beautifully with the soft peachy hues of polished plaster walls that change character as the day progresses. Light pours in through large and efficient double-glazed windows.

A hand-crafted kitchen runs across the back wall of the 23ft living room with warm, cherry-veneered cabinetry and a selection of integrated Bosch appliances. Exposed breeze blocks form the backdrop to the white lacquered work surface. At the front of the room, large sliding doors open out to a spacious all-weather balcony overlooking the greenery of Haggerston Park across the street.

Both bedrooms are doubles with views over the park and fitted with handcrafted wardrobes. The principal bedroom connects to a sharp ensuite shower room, while the main bathroom is clad in tactile, pastel red wall tiles paired with Duravit fittings.

In the neighbourhood

As soon as you step outside the gates of the entrance courtyard, you can't help being swept up in the energy of this vibrant quarter. Hackney probably holds the highest population of creatives in London, and you can see this reflected in the independent nature of all the shops, bars, coffee houses and gastro pubs within yards of Hide in every direction.

Two of the capital's favourite weekend markets are more or less on the doorstep. Broadway's street food and vintage stalls make Saturday endlessly fascinating, while the place to be on Sundays is the flower market at Columbia Road, now famous around the world.

Haggerston Park is directly opposite the building for an instant hit of urban nature. Also easily walkable are the more substantial and regal green spaces of Victoria Park, and the chilled out London Fields with its iconic 50-metre lido that's heated all year round.

Transport and connections.

You can walk to the city of London in less than 30 minutes through Shoreditch and Spitalfields if that's where work takes you, there's also a healthy selection of buses into town on nearby Hackney Road. The Overground stations at Hoxton and Cambridge Heath are both around a 10-minute walk, or you can catch the tube at Bethnal Green in under 20.

?