Home tour | A monochrome London apartment

Instead of my normal last-Friday-of-the-month ‘Room Envy’ post, I have another beautiful home to share with you today – the second London property which I was lucky enough to nose around during last weekend’s event with Function + Form and Houzz (you can see the first one here).

Set in a converted school in Hackney, this two-bedroom loft apartment is owned by interior designer Laura Lakin, who has renovated it throughout. The results are stunning, and it’s safe to say I loved every corner!

As she showed us around, Laura explained that her aim had been to create a contemporary, open-plan space without losing any of the flat’s industrial character. She therefore used clean lines and a monochrome colour palette to showcase interesting architectural features, and commissioned internal steel windows to let light flow between rooms. She also installed lots of built-in storage fronted by sleek banks of doors, hiding away clutter and preserving the airy feel.

At the apartment’s heart is a large living area that’s flooded with sunshine. Squishy sofas, a high wooden dining table and a long desk flanked by Eames DSW chairs mean it works equally well for relaxing, socialising and working, and the bespoke black kitchen units contrast beautifully with the white walls. My eye was immediately drawn to the Octo 4240 lights by Secto Design, which look fantastic dangling from the high ceilings, and the marble-topped, brass-legged side table.

Laura designed much of the flat around favourite artworks, including the master bedroom, where a white four-poster frames a striking print by Estonian fine-art photographer Kylli Sparre. The minimal lines in this room are jazzed up with subtly patterned blinds and a beautiful Scandinavian-style rug (you can find a similar one at Rockett St George), and there’s also an ensuite shower room decked out in grey marble and black fixtures.

My favourite space of all was the second bedroom, whose focal point is a huge Ay Illuminate pendant lamp (available from Bodie & Fou). It looks fantastic against the exposed-brick walls and simple white-and-grey décor.

Even the building’s communal areas are worth a mention, as they retain so many echoes of the former school. On our way from the main entrance to Laura’s front door, we found tiled walls, arched corridors, and even an old blackboard in a hallway!

A huge thanks to Function + Form and Houzz for organising such a wonderful day, and to Laura and Chris Dyson for showing us around their homes. I came away with major house envy…!

All photography by Abi Dare