Bright living room with large window showcasing trees outside, blue sofa with pillows, black pouf, side table with potted plant, wooden chair, and colorful wall art on white walls, hardwood floor with orange patterned rug.

p o r t l o o p

Designing the show apartment at Port Loop was a really exciting brief to respond to. Having worked with Urban Splash on two other historic projects in Birmingham and Leeds, we have established a real synergy in our combined efforts to respond to 'place' and harness it as a key point of inspiration for the exterior and interior design. And Port Loop was no exception. Flanking Birmingham's iconic canalside, the waterways produce a metaphorical conveyor belt of barges, cyclists and runners with many of the apartments overlooking the towpath and framing the views like a living artworks.

Our ultimate aim was to capture the industrial essence of the surroundings within the interiors through the selection of materials, shapes and objects whilst making the final result feel fresh and contemporary. Modular shelving was filled with vintage finds from old flat irons fashioned into bookends, boat cleats were repurposed as coat hooks and the hand painted visual language of canal barge culture was referenced in the styling as diamond-patterned artist prints, geometric vases and tessellated arrangements of candlestick holders and key bowls.

To source the larger furnishings, we were delighted to work with our friends at Minima, a Jewellery Quarter-based furniture and lighting showroom who provided the 'work-from-home' wall configuration in living space, as well as the beautiful quilted sofa - another nod to a canalside craft. We opted for a lot of black steel finishing in the storage units and bed frames to create a strong impact against the light and airy walls, but incorporated natural materials, woven textures and our own hand tufted wall tapestries to add softness and comfort.

Client
Urban Splash + Places for People

Overview
Location: Port Loop, Birmingham
Project Status: Appointed 2024. Completed 2024
No. Apartments: 58

Services
Interior Furnishing
FF&E
Dressing
Photography Direction

Team
Interior Design: San Stae
Architect: Shed KM
Principal Contractor: Caddick Construction
Furniture Partner: Minima
Photographer: Tom Bird

A park next to a narrow waterway with a modern building displaying digital artwork and message. The building features large green text, portions of words include 'PORT', 'POL', 'LO', 'OP', and some graphics on the digital display. The park has walking paths, small trees, and green grassy areas under a partly cloudy sky.

Living room with a blue sofa, colorful pillows, a black round ottoman, a small round black table with a white flower vase, an orange rug, and mountain-shaped wall art in different colors.

Modern kitchen with white cabinets, black oven, wooden countertop, and minimal decor, including a plant, cutting board, bread, and abstract art.

Bright, modern dining area with a black table and chairs on the left, minimalist wooden desk with shelves and decor in the background, and a sliding glass door on the right showing a view outside.

A woman in a striped shirt and jeans standing in a modern white kitchen with wooden flooring, a blue sofa with a black-and-white blanket nearby, and colorful abstract wall art.

“We couldn’t be happier with the finished scheme, the subtle nods to canal heritage dotted throughout the property really draw on the view from the property and the scheme location. We’re looking forward to working with San Stae again in the future.”

Woman sitting on a blue sofa in a modern living room with a large window, green plant, colorful wall art, and orange rug.

Modern, minimalistic white kitchen and dining area with wooden flooring, a small table with chairs, and houseplants visible through the open doors in the background.

A cozy bedroom corner with a bed featuring colorful patterned pillows and an orange velvet pillow. A tray with a white electric kettle and two cups sits on the bed. To the right, a white shirt hangs on a black tripod-standing coat rack. On the left, a pink metal wall shelf holds decorative items including a gold pig figurine, a small framed picture, and some ceramics.

Modern living room with light wood flooring, a leather and wood chair, a black round table, a large green potted plant, and a person walking near a wall-mounted shelf with decorative items, large windows with black frames showing a cityscape and greenery outside.