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As provisions for London’s artists dwindle – and rent rises hit the remaining studios – space to carve out a workspace at home has become a precious commodity.
And it’s little wonder that many creative look towards ex-industrial buildings, which tend to boast the same soaring volumes and full-height windows that made them ideal for all manner of manufacturing and crafts.
Today’s offering is a melange of live/work units, bright garden studios and mews-style homes with a workshop on the ground floor – which could moonlight as a gallery or store, given the right permissions.
Here are ten of the best on the market now.
De Beauvoir, N1
£3.25 million
Tucked away behind a terrace of smart Georgian townhouses, this former shoe factory is a glorious anomaly on the leafy Islington Hackney border. For forty years it has served as an artist’s studio, and there’s little structure to the 4,000 square foot, two-storey building, which features a spectacular vaulted volume upstairs.
Urban Spaces, 020 3910 0873
Brixton, SW15
£1.6 million
This former warehouse in Brixton Hill has been converted into a series of unconventional houses. This generous one-bedroom home has appealing living spaces and two terraces, but the real draw is the enormous workshop on the lower floor.
Secombe Estates, 020 3984 7662
London Fields, E9
£550,000
A chain-free one-bedroom flat in a sought-after former factory near London Fields park. The mezzanine in the double-height living space is an appealing spot for a desk, but there’s enough space for more creative uses.
Dexters, 020 7247 2440
Muswell Hill, N10
£475,000
This well-planned flat is on the ground floor of an Edwardian gem, set back from the road by a pretty front garden. A prudent former owner has installed an impressive studio at the end of the large private garden, which is particularly secluded.
Dexters, 020 8444 2388
Forest Hill, SE23
£1.295 million
This thoughtfully decorated three-bedroom house near the station has a 700 square foot workshop on the ground floor, with poured concrete floors, generous ceiling heights and a skylight. There’s also a charming roof terrace off the living room at the top.
Unique Property Company, 020 3987 1739
Battersea, SW11
£1.3 million
Currently configured as two separate units, this flexible live/work home has plenty of appealing details, including contemporary beamed ceilings and arched windows. There are three fairly compact bedrooms on the second floor.
Foxtons, 020 3840 3975
Highams Park, E4
£775,000
A four-bedroom family home a few minutes from Epping Forest, with an a lovely timber-clad studio at the back of the quiet corner plot. There’s a double garage and driveway and it’s on the market without a chain.
The Stow Brothers, 020 3870 2965
Whitechapel, E1
£1 million
Unconventional even by live/work standards, this expansive home on the ground floor of an attractive warehouse conversion in Whitechapel has a variety of versatile rooms, some with glazed partitions. It also comes with two underground parking spaces.
Winkworth, 020 3907 3670
Maida Vale, W9
£1 million
This unusual two-bedroom house comes with planning permission for another storey, which would add serious value in this prime spot. But the highlight is still the high-spec studio, with its generous glazing, skylights and storage area.
Brockley, SE4
Handy for the station, this three-bedroom apartment on leafy Breakspears Road is bigger than most in the area. It has a curious bonus room, accessed up a set of stairs from one of the back bedrooms, that would make a handsome workspace.
Pedder, 020 3909 6490
