Laura Lakin is the interior designer and owner of this incredible East London loft, part of a converted school built in 1837.  The school became an institute, then technical college and finally converted into residential apartments where Laura Lakin has made a home. Her two bedroom loft was open for a selected group of bloggers to tour as part of the second Function+Form meet up, sponsored by Houzz.

The original stair well led up to an unassuming door and behind it was not what I was expecting. I was immediately struck by the impressive ceiling height, not evident from outside in the hallway so it was a great surprise. Walking into the kitchen my eyes went straight to the two HUGE Octo 4240 pendant lights by Secto, oh SO nice! These handmade Scandinavian lights, as bold as they are, make the space feel calm and well considered.

Industrial features like the original windows and painted brick walls gave the space character, which I love so much. The modern internal windows also reflect the industrial style and not looking out of place against the original ones. These internal windows help spread light throughout the loft which make the space feel bigger, giving even more architectural details.

Living in East London, I know how busy and chaotic it can be. Laura has done an amazing job designing this apartment in creating a feeling of space, light and calm (a perfect oasis to escape the crazy city). The monochrome palette flows throughout with subtle greys, crisp white sheets and crushed linen fabrics to soften the industrial feel.

The design of the space had many nods to Scandinavian apartment living and styling with light walls, washed wood flooring, clever storage solutions and little fuss.

A well designed space should have style and personality. These corners of Laura’s East London loft that had small details and collections help give this space a personal touch, let’s not forget, she does live here, it’s no show home.

These pendent lights with exposed bulbs are great lighting features in a bedroom, hanging either side of the white four poster bed they’re simple and effective.

A wonderful loft that was full of detail, quality and style which is a great example of Laura’s work as a designer.

Tiffany Grant Riley  (Curate + Display) and Annie Kruse (Style Juicer) are the founders of Function+Form, creating a blogging community that not only share design interests but create a way that we can discover and have a closer understanding to the thoughts and processes of designers and makers. For more information about the interiors blogger gathering please see the Function + Form website

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* All photography © Hannah Trickett

A special thanks to Houzz, Laura Lakin and of course Tiff + Annie for letting me tour around this beautiful East London loft.   xx