A Colorful, Custom-Built Guesthouse in London

A neighborhood that locals reflexively associate with poverty and gangsterism may not be the most obvious place to open your first holiday rental. But an alleyway in Bethnal Green, a corner of London’s East End with a rough-and-tumble past, is precisely where industrial designer Nina Tolstrup and her husband, Jack Mama, a creative director specializing in sustainability, have opened their compact accommodations. Well off the Trafalgar-to-Piccadilly circuit, the home’s charms are apparent as soon as you enter the spacious ground-floor kitchen, dining, and lounge area.