Nestled on a tree-lined side road in Margate, Bon Volks is a studio collective that puts the needs of its members and the surrounding community at the heart of its operation. The redesign of the communal lounge and kitchen spaces reflects the studios' defying of the convention that affordable studios are rough around the edges by default.
Working closely with Ratliff Landells Architects, The Studio Workshop and Hedderly Brickwork, plans were drawn up to rip out what were once tired and poorly sized office spaces, with the new design making the most of the previously hidden vaulted ceiling. Introducing a communal lounge to the studios was more than just offering members a space to meet and work, with a refill zone and packaging upcycling storage designed in to help the studio with its aims of becoming more sustainable. The build itself reused materials wherever possible and the freshly discovered timber beams were celebrated within the overall scheme. Biophilic principles were sensitively used throughout, aided by a range of harmonious colours inspired by Dulux’s Greenhouse palette, which Jim helped formulate within the Colour Futures trend forecast that year.
“The Dulux Greenhouse palette compliments the biophilic principals used throughout the space, which were inspired by the glorious tree-lined the space looks on to.”
