Najaar 2026

Bureau de Change revives east London warehouse into modern
Workspace with domestic influences

London-based practice Bureau de Change has transformed a derelict warehouse in one of the city’s most beloved districts into a warm, inviting home-from-home for the staff of production company Somesuch.

The new office provides the perfect link between the site’s history as a workshop for the Huguenot silk weavers of Spitalfields and the future-facing needs of this dynamic client, which delivers progressive commercials, branded content and films globally.

Credits - Gilbert McCarragher © The offices feature a bold palette of contemporary hues, creating a vibrant and inspiring working environment

Credits - Gilbert McCarragher © The offices feature a bold palette of contemporary hues, creating a vibrant and inspiring working environment

Somesuch’s new home is in a 1960s infill building. Thanks to the creative skills of Bureau de Change, a practice founded by Katerina Dionysopoulou and Billy Mavropoulos, the interior been imbued with a sense of charm and history from the area’s heyday, when it was a thriving centre of the 17th century textile industries.

While some elements such as the original flagstone flooring were preserved, other more modern elements were introduced such as vivid geometric tiles marking the entrance, Marmoleum flooring (made of 97% raw natural materials) and quirky papier-mâché pendant lights made in Portugal.

Credits - Gilbert McCarragher © A mix of seating setups and communal areas around the timber staircase caters to various work styles

Credits - Gilbert McCarragher © A mix of seating setups and communal areas around the timber staircase caters to various work styles

The offices can be found on the first and second floors, with a signature timber staircase rising between the two levels.

Not only does it divide the floorplates, but it also provides a place where colleagues and clients can come together to work together, socialise and exchange ideas.

Bespoke timber panels wrap around the original staircase, providing several uses including shelving, lighting as well as cosy reading nooks. These panels feature details inspired by the silk weavers’ timber tools and loom machinery while the rattan infills reference weaving techniques, as well as providing a bit of residential-inspired texture.

Credits - Gilbert McCarragher © Custom timber panels offer shelving, lighting, and cosy reading nooks

Credits - Gilbert McCarragher © Custom timber panels offer shelving, lighting, and cosy reading nooks

The bespoke joinery continues as visitors and staff ascend the staircase, expanding into a generously proportioned bookcase which opens out into individual hot desking setups for more concentrated work positioned around and overlooking the double-height atrium. There are a range of desks close to the windows to take advantage of natural light, provided in a range of configurations from regular-sized desks to taller workstations for standing, as well as more communal and clustered desk seating.

The first floor has dedicated workspace for the creative team plus a formal boardroom, a reading nook, and an open plan kitchen. This space leads out onto a terrace of beautiful planters, the greenery providing the ideal spot for staff to take a nourishing break from their screens.

Credits - Gilbert McCarragher © Rattan infills which reference weaving techniques complement the joinery

Credits - Gilbert McCarragher © Rattan infills which reference weaving techniques complement the joinery

Credits - Gilbert McCarragher © Original flagstone flooring preserved from the building's past adds a touch of authenticity to the transformed space

Credits - Gilbert McCarragher © Original flagstone flooring preserved from the building's past adds a touch of authenticity to the transformed space

The second floor, meanwhile, is home to the executive production team, as well as providing offices for the senior leadership team, as well as more informal meeting space. Here, each enclosed space has an exquisite palette of contemporary hues that could work equally well in a domestic interior. These range from paprika to pin and from ochre to purple, imbuing the space with character while creating a bold contrast with the timber staircase.

Bureau de Change have transformed a disused industrial space into a vibrant place of work, crafted with care and emulating the artisanship of the Huguenots based there centuries ago.

 

article written by Helen Parton

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