As we head back to work, we’re thinking about spaces that inspire and six architects who found the secret to the ultimate live/work environment.

Renaat Braem House, Antwerp
Belgian architect Renaat Braem built this home for himself and his wife, graphic artist Els Severin, in 1958. Adapted into a home and studio with an L-shaped office space, the design embodied his approach to architecture as “the art of organising space”.

Alden B. Dow Home & Studio, Midland
Known for his association with Frank Lloyd Wright, architect Alden B. Dow designed this home and studio to house his own practice in 1933. Dow used distinct aesthetics and colour palettes to clearly define the domestic and professional space. Playful interiors with primary colours distinguished living areas from the more formal employee studio.

Eames House, California
Eames House became the couples’ creative studio and residence from 1949 until Charles’ death in 1978 and Ray’s death in 1988. Originally designed as a Case Study House, the space is divided between two separate structures which defined their public and private purpose but allowed for flexibility. Throughout their lives the studio was interchangeably used as a base for their design practice, a guest suite and home office.

Slip House, London
Designed by architect Carl Turner as his own elegant home and studio, Slip House was sold by The Modern House in 2014. Awarded the prestigious RIBA Manser Medal, the house was described as an ‘urban sanctuary’ with a beautifully sculptural form. Intended as a multi-purpose space, the ground floor housed a working studio with a movable integrated desk and storage unit that could be transferred to different areas within the space depending on the studios needs.

Mario Bellini’s Home Library, Milan
Renovated by Piero Portaluppi in the 1930s, the nineteenth-century neo-Classical palazzo home of Italian architect Mario Bellini is oriented around his extensive library. Largely confined to a mezzanine, the collection expands over a scaffold-like structure that surrounds the staircase and runs through the centre of the house.

Blue House, London
Completed in 2002, Blue House was a home and studio-office space for former FAT Architect Sean Griffiths. The graphic, cartoon-like character of the facade communicates its live/work function with the relief of a naive office block stacked above the apex of a pitched roof.

For more inspiring live/work spaces explore our Collections Page.