dMFK Completes Hospitality-inspired Shoreditch Base for Artist-led Creative Studio RASCAL
Artist-led creative studio RASCAL’s new Shoreditch base, designed by architects dMFK, marries aged timber, patina finishes and reclaimed fittings to evoke a characterful, hospitality-inspired feel.
Founded by three friends from architecture school, dMFK has grown over 25 years into a multi-award-winning practice of around 60 architects and interior designers. The AJ100 studio is known for creating beautiful buildings to live, work and gather in – characterful, timeless places that people truly cherish.
RASCAL is a multi-award-winning, artist-led Creative Studio based in London and Stockholm. They represent cutting-edge VFX artists, colourists, composers and sound designers.
Occupying the ground-floor and basement level of a former car garage, the 5,000 sqft commercial space has been transformed into a UK headquarters for the award-winning team, who specialise in colour, VFX, sound design and music.
RASCAL sought a beautifully crafted, quality-driven new home that reinforces their brand as visitors, from voice actors to advertising execs, move through the space. The two storeys needed to facilitate co-working, collaboration, events, quiet focus and high-performance post-production suites.
“We have designed a new headquarters with RASCAL that embodies the studio’s ambition, vision, and technical excellence. Located on Charlotte Road in Shoreditch, the building, a former car garage, has been thoughtfully reimagined as a flexible creative hub. The result is an immersive, warm, and tactile experience, driven by the authenticity and character of the existing structure whilst ensuring industry specific performance.”
– Joshua Scott, Director at dMFK
High-quality reclaimed materials, fittings and furnishings have been selected to introduce warmth, tactility and character – many with interesting stories. Old iroko chemistry lab worktops from a school have been repurposed as a bar counter and executive desk, whilst the banquette seating, entrance lounge tables and meeting room table have been salvaged from a neighbouring restaurant that had recently closed.
“Creativity, quality, and storytelling sit at the heart of RASCAL’s work, and the space needed to reflect these values. We endeavoured to use materials that had already lived a life, or that would age with character and tell new stories over time. Examples of this approach within the project include preserving the character of the reclaimed Iroko worktops through only very light sanding and using unlacquered brass that will naturally oxidise over time.”
– Mathilda Lewis, Associate at dMFK
dMFK has subdivided the open-plan shell and core office to create an entrance lounge and coffee bar, open desk space, focus booths, meeting room, break-out soft seating, tea points, four VFX suites, two sound suites, three colour suites, a voiceover booth and WCs.
The existing staircase has been relocated from the rear of the building to create an intuitive connection between the arrival space and basement-level studios.
Every suite operates differently, with unique orientations, furnishings and technical requirements. Privacy was a key consideration, particularly for the colour suites. If someone accidentally opens the wrong door it’s vital a screen isn’t visible, because the colourists will often be working on top-secret productions for television and streaming platforms. To ensure that the suites met the specific technical performance criteria, we collaborated with post-production experts Outside the Box (OTB).
“The project was shaped through close collaboration with RASCAL and their technical consultants, allowing the design to respond precisely to how the studios are used. Understanding how they work, privacy needs, and technical performance was central to creating spaces that support the team day-to-day.”
– Joshua Scott, Director at dMFK