Cult interiors brand House of Hackney has moved to Shoreditch, giving an 1856 four-storey clergy house a makeover with their signature Gothic-tinged Victoriana-meets-Seventies style.
St Michael’s, a classic Victorian gothic church tucked away among the cranes and modern architecture that surrounds it, has been given an new life as an interiors one-stop shop filled with clashing prints, fringed lamps, glamorous velvet and golden snake accessories.
The new flagship store for the brand, which launched in 2011, is an immersive shopping experience, featuring concept rooms.
Weave your way through leopard print sofa-clad living rooms and sabre-toothed tiger rugged bathrooms and pick up inspiration, and maybe bag a dinosaur bookend on the way out. Everything you see is for sale.
“The house we’ve created at St Michael’s is a sanctuary away from the outside world, adorned with prints and colours inspired by the sublime palette of nature,” says Frieda Gormley, who launched the company with her husband Javvy Royle in 2011.
The plant loving east Londoners had wanted to add flower- and foliage-decked furnishings to their home. When they were unable to source what they were looking for they decided to make it themselves, and House of Hackney was born.
“This place personifies everything that makes House of Hackney what it is today, from considering sustainability to how we play with technology,” Gormley says.
“Our three guiding principles of compassion, creativity and consciousness form the basis of everything you see and feel here. Everything evokes a memory or a feeling for us and we hope that the pieces in this space go on to do the same for others.”
There are plenty of tips and tricks to take away if your home’s not quite ready for a full HoH visual explosion. Little Wedgewood plates – which you can find at antique shops for a fiver – make elegant wall hangings in the bedroom, while emerging artists have been selected to show their work on the walls. All sales will go directly to the makers.
Alongside traditional furniture pieces made modern with splashy patterns, the 19th century building has some cutting edge tech. A touch screen computer enables visitors to mix and match their new paint shades – which launch on April 5 – and classic wallpapers, and project your creation onto the wall to see it true to scale.
“It’s always been important to us that we help bridge the imagination gap, allowing people to dream and helping make those dreams a reality,” says Royle.
“We’ve always thought outside of the box. Although we are inspired by the artistry and craftsmanship of the past we want to align this with pioneering innovation. This new chapter and our move to St Michael’s felt it was the right time to craft a piece of technology that brought our collections to life.”
And for House of Hackney fanatics, you can wear their William Morris inspired prints too.
With the opening of the shop comes the second drop of their collaboration with Barbour.
After a well-received welcome last September, the heritage British brand is back with another collection of their classics done up with Gormley and Royle’s prints.
The highlight this season is the Ferncliff Wax jacket in a bolshie leopard print – perfect for Glastonbury.
After Thursday’s opening event which saw craft gin and tonics flow in the garden and Pam Hogg take to the DJ decks, St Michael’s opens to the public on Saturday 26 March.
Appointments with the House of Hackney interior experts are free, and the team of design consultants can help you with projects regardless of scale.
So whether you are in need of some high octane inspiration, or just fancy a trip into the colourful world of the House of Hackney, head on down to take a seat on their floral covered four boaster bed soon.
