A Ballet Dancer’s Tiny Barbican Studio Has a Choreographed Routine of Its Own
With a budget of $13K, Intervention Architecture revamped a 388-square-foot flat into an airy home/ballet studio with shape-shifting furniture.
Creating live/work areas can be challenging in tiny apartments—and all the more so when the homeowner’s occupation requires room to move. This was the bind a professional ballet dancer was in when he recently tapped Intervention Architecture to turn a micro-flat into a space to live and practice his routines.
Designed in the 1950s by British firm Chamberlin, Powell, and Bon, the Barbican Estate in East London is one of the largest examples of the brutalist style. Construction extended through the ’70s, and the complex was officially opened by the Queen in 1982. Today, it remains highly coveted for its unique aesthetic and convenient location.
Photo courtesy of Intervention Architecture
The young client owned a small flat in the city’s Barbican Estate and wanted to reimagine the space to serve as both his home and ballet studio. Up for the challenge, the Birmingham-based firm imagined a multifunctional bed, storage, and dining unit to serve the space’s many needs.
With a budget of £10,400 (approximately $13,000), Intervention Architecture transformed a tiny apartment into a minimalist studio. The firm worked with a cabinetmaker to design a custom unit and centerpiece for the space.
Photo courtesy of Intervention Architecture
"As a young dancer, the client’s energy and dynamism was something we really wanted to capture in the ergonomics of the design," explains Anna Parker, studio director at the firm. "We also wanted to allow the original features to shine through as much as possible."
The firm designed a shape-shifting unit made up of several modules to maximize storage and flexibility. "It takes around two minutes to assemble or disassemble from the main modes," says studio director Anna Parker.
Photo courtesy of Intervention Architecture
To achieve their vision, the team "injected movement throughout the space with a changeable joinery solution to maximize storage and create alternate uses and zones within the compact floor area." Shape-shifting furniture creates and contains a fold-down bed, hidden bookshelf, bench seating, as well as a flat-pack table which rests on removable legs when the bed is folded down.
Small niches on both sides of the Murphy bed function as bedside tables. Drawers and cabinets of various sizes offer storage on both sides of the bed.
Photo courtesy of Intervention Architecture
Engineered oak flooring was installed in the living area, complementing the plywood unit. The design team selected a light-gray Marmoleum for the kitchen and refreshed the bathroom with gray grouting.
Shop the Look
Bloomscape Fiddle Leaf Fig
Tall, sculptural, and dramatic. This plant will flourish in the right conditions. The Fiddle Leaf Fig is easily recognizable and loved for its distinctive foliage. This tall, dramatic plant has very large, heavily veined, violin-shaped leaves that grow upright. It’s not bushy, making it a beautiful interior design addition for a brightly lit corner or cozy nook in your home.
ShopMASHstudios LAX Storage Bench
Forged in MASHstudios Founder Bernard Brucha’s modern, clean aesthetic, the Storage Bench combines Solid English walnut construction with a charcoal grey sliding felt seat. The Storage Bench is a perfect welcome piece for any home or office design. Finished with natural oil, the Bench continues MASH’s commitment to sustainability and producing furniture built to last a lifetime.  The seat cover: A reinforced double stitch seals the edge of a sliding felt seat, designed for accessing the storage box below. With ample storage for those things you’d like to keep out of sight and two shelves for footwear, this storage bench will contribute to keeping your place in perfect order. Photo Courtesy of HORNE
ShopIntueri Light Solo Pendant
The Intueri Light Solo Pendant actualizes the appeal of minimalistic design, featuring a single frosted glass diffuser within a spun metal stem. The simple construction utilizes a modular system in which individual metal components are handcrafted and designed to create fluid connecting points; each metal rod, base and glass sphere perfectly join, creating the seamless droplet shape of each pendant. Working well as a solitary point of light or in a line of pendants, the Solo’s petite structure encourages a multitude of lighting designs. Decorative ceiling medallion is not included with the canopy.
ShopThe standalone booth at the foot of the bed can also be moved, creating open floor space so that the client can practice his choreography.
Photo courtesy of Intervention Architecture
"We were keen to approach this project with a minimal aesthetic to amplify the brutalist architecture of the Barbican Estate," explains the firm.
Photo courtesy of Intervention Architecture
A small kitchen tucked in the corner received cosmetic updates during the renovation.
Photo courtesy of Intervention Architecture
Related Reading:
11 Transforming Apartments That Make the Most of Minuscule Spaces
8 Transforming Furnishings For Tiny Apartments
Project Credits:
Architect of Record: Intervention Architecture / @interventionarchitecture
Cabinetry Design: The Winding House
Published
Last Updated