We know it’s a little confusing. Netil House has been open as a creative studio space for seventeen years. Then, two years ago, we acquired and opened the building next door as Netil Corner, connecting the two through a knock-through to form one wider ecosystem. And then, we began referring to the whole location simply as ‘Netil’.

We never properly told that story. So here it is, in full.

Netil began in 2009, when we opened the doors of Netil House, transforming a disused office building into studios shaped around creative practice. From the outset, it was never intended to operate as a conventional workspace to rent. The aim was to create a considered environment where independent creatives could find a studio to rent that supports focus, longevity and cultural connection.

As the community grew, so did demand for studio space. Rather than relocating or diluting what had already taken shape, we expanded next door. Netil Corner opened as a continuation of the same idea, offering additional studios to rent and workspace to rent in Hackney, while preserving the character and integrity of the original building. The expansion was not about scale for scale’s sake, but about allowing the community to evolve without losing cohesion.

Over the last two years, the line between Netil House and Netil Corner has become increasingly irrelevant. Residents move between studios. Teams grow across floors. Collaborations unfold across corridors, stairwells and shared spaces. What exists on paper as two addresses functions in practice as one interconnected studio site.

Today, Netil House and Netil Corner operate together as a single destination for studio to rent and workspace to rent in East London. Across both buildings, there are over 200 studios alongside shared facilities including coworking areas, meeting rooms, photography and recording studios, treatment rooms and retail. While the architecture of each building remains distinct, the experience is deliberately unified.

When we refer to Netil, we are reflecting how the space is actually used. Studios to rent are not siloed by building name, except where practical for deliveries and post. Residents, if they choose, do not experience the site in halves. They experience one community.

Netil is designed as more than simply workspace to rent. Alongside studio space, we curate the mix of residents, creating an environment where bars, restaurants and retail sit naturally alongside creative production. The intention has always been to offer a studio to rent within a wider cultural setting, supporting sustainable, long-term creative practice.

As part of Eat Work Art, Netil House and Netil Corner continue to evolve in response to the people working within them. Their growth over the past fifteen years reflects a simple principle: spaces should change with the creatives who occupy them.

So while Netil House and Netil Corner remain two buildings in name, they form one community in practice. One interconnected studio site. One considered workspace to rent in Hackney.

That’s Netil.