Jonathan Ellis of Artform and Sophie Smith of Scenesmith on bringing to life the brutalist-inspired XO apartments in Stoke Newington, north east London

Jonathan Ellis, founder of Artform, and his partner and frequent collaborator, Sophie Smith, founder of Scenesmith, create new builds with a difference. By working with local craftspeople, championing sustainability and using a highly considered material palette, they pioneer tactile, design-led environments a far cry from your usual London apartments. While Jonathan and Sophie’s past ventures are a testament to their love of design, such as Hide on Hackney Road, east London, where the couple currently reside, they both agree that XO, a collection of eight newly built apartments in Stoke Newington, north east London, is one of their boldest projects to date.

It was the brutalist-inspired architectural plan of XO that initially caught Jonathan and Sophie’s eye. The design aficionados were fascinated by the skeleton of the building – so much so, they celebrated the shape internally by revealing its concrete columns and beams. But there’s a palpable warmth to XO, too, thanks to its harmonious colour palette of deep reds and soft pinks, and the refined use of timber and oak. As XO comes on the market, Jonathan and Sophie invite us over to preview the apartments and discuss the intriguing architecture and the challenges and joys of the project.

Sophie: “Jon and I talk interiors and architecture all day long. We wake up talking about it; we go to bed talking about it. It’s really great to build and design these schemes, but it is even more fun to make them with your partner. It’s a challenge at times, but it’s really satisfying in the end.

“As many people know, new build properties can be very sterile. Even if you can tell that money has been spent, they often lack character or narrative. With XO, we’ve thought about the building’s relationship with its surroundings around it and the spirit of the apartments. We get involved at the beginning of the design process, so we can really sculpt that narrative. And that’s something we relish as a studio.”

Jonathan: “Artform identifies the site and starts building, and then Scenesmith work very closely with us and our architects on not just the interiors, but anything you’re going to see. We bought the site last April and started working on it in September last year. It will be completed this October, meaning the project will have lasted 13 months, which we’re very happy with. To get all this detail in that time – we’re quite proud of ourselves.

Nicky Kirk was the original architect who achieved the planning consent alongside the previous landowner. After purchasing the site, we worked with the team at Dowen Farmer Architects to finesse the details and deliver the scheme. They’re a young architectural practice who share our passion for design.”

Sophie: “When we began the project, we already had the bones of the building set out by the architect. That was what drew us to the scheme, because the architecture was really interesting. It’s quite atypical of many new builds going up in London.

“The building’s core has a real brutalist element. Set back from the main façade, it towers up through the brick plinth at the base – a feature we were excited about the prospect of creating. After meeting the craftspeople making the pre-cast columns in their workshop, it surprised us to learn how each piece is finished by hand. So although it’s hard in appearance, we embraced the idea of the concrete not being too perfect; not too crisp.

“One of the key things for us was to really celebrate the bones of the building internally, making them part of the narrative. Where we could, we exposed the beams, columns and ceiling finishes inside. Often these are hidden, but we believe they enrich the volume of the space.

“We have used an interesting palette. By combining a warm, natural timber window with the pre-cast concrete we created a textural contrast. This is an unusual pairing in urban environments, but we feel they accentuate each other’s qualities. The wood looks richer, the concrete more stoic.

“There’s a celebration of shape throughout. We worked on the kitchens with a joinery workshop called Milk Furniture – their architectural background streamlining the collaboration. We enacted a modern take on the typical Shaker-style cupboard door with rounded details, giving them a bubble-like appearance. We went for a deep, rich burgundy in the kitchens, which both softens and engages the space. As we have the exposed concrete ceilings and beams, we were conscious to make the interiors warm; we didn’t want it to feel cold.”

Jonathan: “The decorator came in today and said, ‘I’ve not used this colour palette since the sixties,’ which I thought was a fantastic compliment. He was surprised it works. It’s interesting, as for the last decade the trend in interiors has been grey, grey, grey.”

Sophie: “The bathrooms feature different hues of recycled terracotta terrazzo. The tiles are made of natural stone and are the thickness of worktops. The tilers have been saying, ‘You’re mad. Why are you doing this?’ as it’s such hard work, it’s expensive and time-intensive, but seeing it all come together, I believe the quality of the material is noticeable. Terrazzo is not only beautiful, but it also lasts.”

Jonathan: “We’ve become bolder – that’s the main difference between this and our other projects. We’re comfortable with taking a risk.”

Sophie: “XO is for sure the boldest new build project we’ve done. We know it’s not for everyone, but we’ve built the confidence to say there will be people who will absolutely fall in love with it. I like interiors that don’t just try and appeal to everybody. I think an interior that is individual is successful – a good interior should be saying something.”

Jonathan: “For me, interiors should be evocative and thought-provoking. With these interiors, we want to leave people thinking.”

Sophie: “When I imagine the person that will inhabit these spaces, it will be someone who wants to connect with Stoke Newington. I imagine them rolling around on a bike, meeting friends, enjoying the great coffee shops.”

Jonathan: “Church Street in Stoke Newington feels like a village to me – and I love that. That’s special for London. There are no empty shops, it’s got the name and it’s got the character – and it still holds it. All the buildings are a bit different; all the retail spaces are a bit interesting.”

Sophie: “The brutalist nature of the flats means the person that lives here will also have that appreciation for design. I imagine them being quite eccentric, a bit of a collector. That’s the headspace I’ve been in when I’m designing.”

Jonathan: “We appeal to the design-led, but we’re also conscious of sustainability. Here, we’ve got air source heat pumps. They’re future-proof. It’s a fully electric scheme, which is far more sustainable than using gas – and that excites us. It’s the first time we’ve done it.

“We’re always exploring new technologies and materials within sustainable building. We’re not yet saying this is carbon neutral but we are improving on what we’ve done in the past, project to project. We think you can have eyes on both things – continually improving our impact on the environment and community while creating a considered aesthetic.”

Related stories