Austere Yet Fancy Apartment Becomes An Artist’s Hermit Retreat

Being an artist can be easy at times but the unconventional nature of this occupation means that there’s a lack of organization and a lack of well-defined concepts. Artists don’t work in offices, don’t have cubicles and don’t follow the same rules as accountants, developers or other professionals. All of this may make artists seem cool and free of worries but finding a suitable place to work can be a real struggle in this case. One artist seems to have found a great solution.

Urban Hermitage studio with breezy white curtains
The apartment is intentionally very minimalistic, being designed to resemble a monastic retreat
Urban Hermitage studio with breezy white curtains
It belongs to an artist who wanted to live and work in seclusion to better concentrate on his creations

This is a 26 square meter apartment located on the first floor of a Victorian house in London. It belongs to an artist who went to Spheron Architects for help with the interior design. His request was for the architects to transform the apartment into a living and working environment that would be comfortable and functional but that would also look and feel secluded and solitary in order to allow his to focus on the creative process.

Urban Hermitage studio with breezy white curtains
The apartment is small but the large mirror panels and the window wall give it a breezy and open feel
Urban Hermitage studio with breezy white curtains
The mirror panels fold to reveal a set of hidden features and functions such as the bed and wardrobe
Urban Hermitage studio with breezy white curtains
A Murphy bed folds down at the center of this unit, revealing the sleeping area/ bedroom

The architects used a design strategy that could also suit other efficiency apartments. The interior design of the studio is composed of wooden cabinets, large mirrors and net curtains. They called this project the Urban Hermitage. It’s a home and workspace in one, featuring two large units at either end of the space. One of units is covered with folding mirror panels. These panels hide a Murphy bed, a wardrobe and additional storage, keeping all of these things out of sight and out of mind most of the time.

Urban Hermitage studio with breezy white curtains
The only furniture pieces aside from the two large wall units are a small desk and a simple chair
Urban Hermitage studio with breezy white curtains
At the opposite end of the mirror wall there’s a large wooden unit that hides extra features
Urban Hermitage studio with breezy white curtains
Behind the wooden panels there’s a fully-equipped kitchen and additional storage

The other unit is made of wood and conceals the kitchen and the entrance to the bathroom. The only other pieces of furniture, besides these two huge units, are a small wooden desk and a very simple-looking chair. The artist chose to only be surrounded by the ussentials and by this type of solitary and monastic seclusion in order to better focus on his work and to bring remoteness into the urban setting.

Urban Hermitage studio with breezy white curtains
The window wall has breezy white curtains that filter the light and create a soothing ambiance

The walls of the apartment have a rough and unfinished look, with an exposed concrete surface. They’re complemented by the dark-stained wooden floor that adds a warm touch to the decor and also by the soft net curtains that cover the windows.

Urban Hermitage studio with breezy white curtains
The net windows have a soft texture that contrasts with the harsh nature of the concrete walls