A-nrd Studio Designs Meadow, a Sensory Creative Workspace in London

Project Info

Project Name: Meadow Creative Workspace

Architects/Interior Designers: A-nrd Studio in collaboration with The Mason & Fifth Design Studio

Client: Meadow

Location: London, United Kingdom

In the heart of London, Meadow redefines what a coworking environment can be. Commissioned by Meadow and designed in collaboration with A-nrd Studio, together with The Mason & Fifth Design Studio, this 900+ sqm ground and lower ground project (≈ 9,687 sq ft) brings forward a design philosophy rooted in wellness, tactility, and fluidity.

A Journey Through Light, Material & Atmosphere

Stepping in from the street, visitors are greeted by full-height Crittall-style glazing that floods the interior with daylight. The entry lounge is anchored by a curved velvet modular sofa and a generous recycled-plastic-table, all unified by a large rug that softens acoustics and spatial definition. Warm-toned Forbo flooring spans both levels, ensuring visual continuity throughout. The palette is chalky neutral on walls, with welcome bursts of richer hues and softer textures in the furnishings.

A sculptural reception console by Jason Posnot of Or This subtly announces arrival without imposing rigid barriers. In this space, soft linen sofas, generous planting, and a thoughtfully placed contoured floor lamp shift the mood toward one of calm domesticity.

Glass partitions maintain visual transparency while subtly zoning the large, light-filled office

Zoning: Privacy, Collaboration, Retreat

Meadow’s spatial strategy is all about balancing openness with privacy, and activity with repose. The ground floor opens into communal workbenches, phone booths, rest zones, and meeting rooms defined not by walls alone but by shifting atmospheres. Full-height glazing frames meeting rooms, preserving sightlines and natural light while offering acoustic separation.

Key to the design is how zones shift in mood: from the energised, collaborative perimeter areas to more retreat-like corners, where one can focus or relax. The layering of planting plays a dual role—softening transitions, improving air quality, and reinforcing a sense of enclosure without physical partitions.

Open workstations are defined by warm wood and a clean aesthetic, creating a space for focused collaboration

Materiality, Texture & Color

The design’s grounding lies in material and texture. Warm timber, soft velvet, linen upholstery, and rich leather tones are paired with details of geometric patterning and saturated accents. A communal table, crafted in planked sapele wood, wraps around an existing concrete column; its base reveals exposed dowel fixings—these details celebrate craft and give honesty to the construction.

Colour accents — mustard swivel chairs, ochre hues in the meeting room upholstery — provide energy without disrupting the overall tonal calm. A raised planter clad in glossy red ceramic tiles introduces texture and visual rhythm in communal areas, forming counterpoints to neutrals and woods.

The lounge offers a peaceful retreat, balancing productivity with relaxation through soft textures and natural light

Sensory Layers & Well-Being

The name “Meadow” feels apt: the space breathes. Natural light, carefully selected plantings, warm textures, and a palette that balances grounded neutrals with comforting accent tones all contribute to a multi-sensory experience. Acoustic comfort comes via soft furnishings (rug, modular sofa, planting), spatial zoning, and openness that avoids claustrophobia.

Lighting, too, plays a role: entry areas have soft, diffuse illumination through daylight; lamps and fixtures add sculptural presence; evening modes likely modulate these to shift the space from work toward retreat. (While the source doesn’t detail lighting schedules, the material and furniture cues suggest such flexible design thinking.)

Vibrant pops of color and lush plants bring life and visual rhythm to the communal work areas

Significance & Architectural Lessons

+ Blurring Boundaries: Meadow showcases that one does not need rigid separations to delineate functions. Transparency (via glass), planting, furniture and material shifts can define space subtly yet effectively.

+ Tactile Warmth in Coworking: Many coworking spaces lean into austere minimalism. Meadow turns this on its head by emphasising comfort through texture, craft, and layering—cultivating an environment people want to stay in, not simply pass through.

+ Scalability via Detail: Even large open zones are rendered human-scale via furniture groupings, plants, planted tables, and subtle shifts in flooring/tone—good lessons for designing large spaces that retain intimacy.

Meadow is more than a shared workspace; it’s a thoughtfully composed environment where sensory detail, natural light, and careful material choice converge to support both productivity and well-being. In the era of hybrid work, such designs set a high bar — they remind us that architecture and interiors do more than accommodate functions: they shape the quality of daily experience.

A warm, handcrafted kitchen fosters community and well-being in the workspace