At Hackney Downs Studios and Netil House, the foyer has been reimagined as part of the building’s fabric. Multifunctional spaces designed as a considered extension of our creative studios and shaped as much by use as by material, texture, layout and lighting.

When you step into Hackney Downs Studios or Netil House, the shift from the busy East London streets is immediate.

There is a tendency to treat foyer design as a formality, no more than a desk, a chair, or a space for a brief arrival. Here, that idea has been reconsidered.

At Eat Work Art, the foyers have been thought as an integral space and an extension of our creative studios and ecosystem. “The foyer sets the tone for the building,” says Joseph, Head of Development at Eat Work Art. “It’s about how you feel when you walk in”

Across both sites, the ambition was to create spaces that feel less incidental and instead more considered and welcoming. Our team was focused on material, spatial logic and a deep consideration of how residents and visitors move through our building’s space.

Hackney Downs Studios is inherently layered. “There’s a lot going on already, so the aim was to create unity.” shares Tim, Senior Architect at Eat Work Art. Indeed, creative studios, retail, wellness spaces, restaurants and a gallery all come together in one space, with the courtyard at its center, neighbouring each other in one expansive creative ecosystem.

For our Design team, that unity focused approach begins with material. Crafted from a single slab of Portuguese limestone, cut as one uninterrupted piece, the foyer desk anchors the space and refines the building’s existing palette. “There’s a generous amount of concrete at Hackney Downs,” Joseph notes. “The limestone sharpens that. It’s a cleaner version of it.”

Alongside this, the use of pale oak and our selected neutral tones create a sense of calm, of a gentle warmth, a pairing that is continued throughout the other communal spaces, including the Arches kitchen, one of our newest developments to the building.

“Limestone against the timber, and the smooth surfaces offset by the grain, these are all subtle contrasts that add depth without distraction.”

Seating offers a mix of armchairs paired with low tables, bar stools and softer seating for longer stays. “ It's another example of how furniture is considered in the context of the multiple ways in which people may use the foyer,” Joseph adds.

Where Hackney Downs is defined by reduction, Netil House is guided by balance. The foyer sits within a space defined by height, and rather than filling it, the design gently compliments this expansive space.

Step inside and you’re immediately drawn to the bespoke rug hanging, sourced from Netil resident Totzke, that adds a refined texture to the space (while also improving the space’s acoustics, of course). Suspended using straps with brass detailing, a familiar material continued from the front of the house desk and the building’s original staircase detailing , that marks and ages with touch, continuing the building’s ongoing story. “It was important it would last,” Tim reflects. “That it would take on a life of its own, that’s where the soul comes from. We want the space to be used and feel lived in, and take on a life of its own with this use.”

From the ceiling, a cluster of glass pendants hangs just low enough to balance the scale of the foyer, while still being visible from the street through Netil’s highlight windows, casting a warm ambient light from outside. “We wanted that warmth to be visible before you even step inside,” says Hannah, Interior Designer.

Approaching the colour palette with restraint, our team selected white walls in order to amplify light and deeper tones such as dark green and muted mustard across furniture and finishes that offer warmth. The result is a space that welcomes movement and feels open, but grounded.

Across both sites, the foyer moves from a point of transaction to a space of use. “They’re breakout spaces,” Joseph explains. “You can enjoy the spaces for two minutes or two hours at all times of the day. Informed by daily realities of our residents, the new foyers reduce friction for both residents and front of house teams, and more significantly, the spaces now accommodate the in-between moments that were previously overlooked.”

 “There wasn’t really anywhere to sit before,” Hannah notes. “Now you can stay, work, chat and eat. It feels natural.”

In this way, the foyer becomes an extension of the studio itself, part of the everyday creative working environment, rather than separate from it. Both Hackney Downs Studios and Netil House resist the idea of a foyer as a polished showroom. Instead, built through material honesty, restraint and a constant consideration of how spaces are actually used.

The result is something immediately felt. Or, as Tim puts it - “A sense of soul.”