Shoreditch Furniture Workshop | Text

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The Society of Designer Craftsmen Headquarters

The Society of Designer Craftsmen, which has owned the building since the early 1980s has a commitment to the building and the area. The Society is very proud of its decision to base itself in Shoreditch during a period of decline long before the commercial success it has gained once again. Moreover it is invested in the buildings history as a small scale workshop amongst the industrialising social and physical backdrop of the late 19th Century, something that their founding Members Walter Crane and William Morris were directly addressing by setting up the society, originally known as The Arts and Craft Exhibition Society, and from which the arts and crafts movement took its name.

There is still a vibrant discussion about the things we design and make for living our lives (including buildings), their materials, how and where they are made and the effect industrialisation has upon their utility, suitability and wonder. In Shoreditch, which boasts many designers and increasingly once again designer-makers, people are still asking these questions. At the headquarters, the Society has the opportunity to fulfil its remit to “encourage innovation, originality and the promotion of professional standards in the work of designer makers” & ” to foster public understanding and interest in good design and fine craftsmanship through exhibition, lectures, conferences and other means” The particular nature and history of the Society and its fit with the nature and history of the building offers an exciting pairing.

The Design

The proposals are to remove both existing staircases and cover in the rear courtyard amongst a program of work identified to invest in and maintain the existing building. This is a rare opportunity to propose a scheme that connects an owner and a building that are truly suited to one another through their independent yet uniquely intertwined histories. Therefore the physical changes to the building maintain its character and arguably better its significance as a heritage asset. The proposals rework the building to bring it far better functionality and this is key to building and the Society’s success.

Currently the building is in use as a gallery on the ground floor, an office and kitchen on the first floor and as storage for the society’s archives on the top floor. The new design proposals include - the redesign of building layout, a new more accessible stais design, and the conversion of an outdoor space into a new indoor space and light well. These changes will allow for a more diverse, broader schedule for the building, and allow it to become more accessible to the public and members of the society.