Modern kitchen with gray cabinets, a white subway tile backsplash, a black coffee machine on the counter, and a white sink with a silver faucet in the foreground. A wooden shelf with framed art, books, and decor is on the wall, with various potted plants nearby. A metallic industrial-style chandelier hangs from a white exposed ceiling with wooden beams.

urban penthouse

Client
Private

Overview
Location: Gun Quarter, Birmingham
Project Status: Completed 2020

Services
Interior Furnishing
Furniture, Fittings & Equipment (FF&E) Sourcing
Art Sourcing
Dressing
Photography Direction

Team
Architect: BPN Architects
Interior Architecture: Javelin Block
Interior Design: San Stae
Photography: Airbnb

Set within Birmingham Gun Quarter, Urban Penthouse is nestled within a collection of former press shops and foundries dating back to the 1830s.

Our involvement centred on the penthouse apartment within Blast House - the only newly built structure on the site, carefully designed to sit amongst the surrounding industrial buildings while subtly echoing the curved form of the original bomb blast responsible for the previous building’s demise.

The interior architecture, designed by award-winning studio Javelin Block, already carried a wonderfully robust industrial language: metal-clad kitchens inspired by traditional metalworkers’ benches, exposed timber ceiling joists, and heavy marine-style lighting that felt both practical and sculptural.

Our role was to continue that narrative through the furnishing, sourcing, styling and final dressing of the apartment, softening the harder architectural edges while preserving the integrity of the space itself. Textured fabrics, smoked glass, warm timber, and aged metals were layered throughout to bring tactility, warmth and atmosphere. The result was a penthouse deeply connected to Birmingham’s manufacturing history - calm, contemporary and a softer interpretation of industrial city living.

A living room corner with a mustard yellow sofa, red velvet pillows, a black floor lamp, a window with a brick building in view, a potted plant, and a coffee table with magazines.
Interior of a modern living space with a yellow sofa and pink cushion, wooden bookshelf with books and decorative items, kitchen counter with a black stool, potted plant, and wall art.
Indoor scene with two framed monochrome art pieces on a wall, a potted plant in the foreground, and a brown upholstered furniture piece.
Close-up of a mustard yellow textured sofa with black legs, a pink velvet pillow, and a beige woven rug underneath.
A bedroom with a large window, a white bedspread, and pillows in beige and rust colors. A black wall-mounted lamp is beside the bed, and a blue geometric artwork hangs on the white wall. A small green plant is near the window.
Modern bedroom with a bed, pillows, side tables, wall art, and a window.
A bedroom hallway with white walls, decorated with framed artwork. There is a black metal and wood shelving unit holding a multicolored plaid blanket, small cacti in black pots, and a basket. The bed with a white comforter is visible on the right side.
A bedroom corner with white walls, a bed with white bedding and beige and red pillows, a black side table holding a magazine titled "HEROIN" and a decorative vase with dried plant stems. Above the bed, there's a black wall-mounted lamp and two colorful framed artworks on the wall.
A bedroom with a white bed, a black wall-mounted shelf with decorative items, a tall rectangular mirror, a woven basket, and a window showing a brick building outside.

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