Inside the Clerkenwell Masterpiece: A Minimalist and Brutalist Redesign by MM Studio Interior

Main Facts

Nestled in the heart of London’s creative and design hub, a striking Clerkenwell residence has undergone a near-complete architectural and interior remodel. Design aficionados might experience a flash of recognition—this very building served as the home of renowned fashion designer Roksanda Ilincic a decade ago. Today, the property has been given a new lease on life, meticulously tailored by architect Pauline Gidoin of MM Studio Interior for a family of three whose passions lie in global travel and contemporary art.

The comprehensive renovation bridges the gap between the building’s strong, existing architectural bones and the personal needs of its occupants. Having lived in the unadjusted space for eight years, the current homeowners leaned on a combination of pre-owned furniture and the home’s original layout before realizing that a top-to-bottom transformation was necessary. Collaborating closely with bespoke joinery specialists Tate Joinery, Gidoin crafted an interior language defined by minimalist restraint, brutalist honesty, and a deeply tactile material palette.

Key facts of the project include:

• Location: Clerkenwell, London.
• Design Firm: MM Studio Interior, led by architect Pauline Gidoin.
• Collaborators: Tate Joinery (responsible for custom storage and architectural joinery).
• Photographer: Anna Stathaki.
• Core Materials: Travertine (rough and refined), oak, walnut, limestone, leather, and chrome.
• Occupants: A family of three art and travel enthusiasts.

Chronology

Phase 1: The Pre-Existing Era and the Eight-Year Habitation

A decade ago, the Clerkenwell house captured public and industry imagination as the stylish residence of designer Roksanda Ilincic. Following that era, the current family purchased the property and spent eight years living within its original framework. During this initial period, they relied on a mix of their own existing furniture and the house’s layout as it was left to them.

While the fundamental architecture of the home was undeniably strong, the family gradually recognized a growing disconnect between the expansive spaces and their day-to-day lifestyle. The oversized rooms lacked a sense of human scale and failed to reflect the occupants’ identity, global travels, and expanding art collection.

Phase 2: Structural Infill and the Catalyst for Change

The timeline leading up to the major renovation accelerated when the owners completed two critical infill extensions on the upper level, creating two brand-new, highly usable bedroom spaces. However, these newly minted rooms lacked internal design and cohesion.

Realizing that piecemeal updates would no longer suffice, the owners contacted Pauline Gidoin of MM Studio Interior. The completion of the upper bedrooms served as the catalyst for a holistic, property-wide reimagining, prompting the design team to evaluate the house in its entirety rather than room by room.

Phase 3: Conceptualization and Material Strategy

Gidoin and her team embarked on a design process centered on a "brutalist and minimalist" vocabulary. Avoiding the temptation to clutter the home with an excess of objects, the architect opted for a restrained selection of furniture and finishes where every single element had to justify its presence through exceptional proportion, texture, and materiality.

Working hand-in-hand with Tate Joinery, the design team developed a series of bespoke architectural interventions. These elements were engineered to solve the diametrically opposed spatial challenges presented by different levels of the house—transforming cavernous open spaces into defined living zones, while simultaneously maximizing utility in tighter, light-restricted footprints.

Phase 4: Execution and Final Reveal

The construction and styling phases focused heavily on the honest application of raw, natural materials. Travertine, oak, walnut, limestone, leather, and chrome were brought in and allowed to speak for themselves, introducing warmth, texture, and depth to the formerly stark architectural shell. Captured through the lens of architectural photographer Anna Stathaki, the finalized Clerkenwell house now stands as a harmonious blend of gallery-like brutalism and intimate family living.

Supporting Data

To fully understand the complexity of the Clerkenwell house remodel, one must examine the contrasting spatial conditions and material strategies deployed across its multi-level footprint:

• Spatial Dynamics:

  • Ground Floor: Characterized by a sweeping, open-plan layout. The primary challenge was breaking down the cavernous volume into intimate, functional zones—specifically a living area, a dining space, and a dedicated music corner—without erecting permanent walls. This was achieved through strategic furniture placement, area rugs, targeted lighting, and custom joinery.
  • Upper and Lower-Ground Floors: Presented the exact inverse challenge. Instead of vastness, these levels demanded rigorous spatial efficiency. Every centimeter was optimized for built-in storage, designed to adapt to varying degrees of natural light.

• Material Palette Breakdown:

  • Travertine: Utilized in both polished/refined and raw/rough finishes to establish textural contrast.
  • Timbers: Richly grained oak and walnut employed to introduce organic warmth against the building’s harder architectural elements.
  • Hard Surfaces & Metals: Limestone flooring and accents paired with structural leather and gleaming chrome details to anchor the minimalist aesthetic.

• Project Partnerships:

  • MM Studio Interior: Lead architectural and interior design execution.
  • Tate Joinery: Custom fabrication of all bespoke storage units and architectural joinery elements.

Official Responses

Architect Pauline Gidoin offered detailed insights into the design philosophy and problem-solving methodologies that shaped the Clerkenwell home:

Reflecting on the initial state of the property, Gidoin noted:

"Although the architecture was very strong, the rooms didn’t necessarily feel connected to the scale or character of the house. In the large open-plan ground floor in particular, pieces felt as though they were floating within the space rather than defining it."

Explaining the timing of the commission, she added:

"Just before they contacted us, they had completed two infill extensions to the upper bedrooms, creating two much more usable rooms that now needed to be properly designed. It felt like the right moment to look at the house in its entirety."

Elaborating on the overarching design language, Gidoin stated:

"We described the design language early on as Brutalist and minimalist. I didn’t want to fight the architecture or fill the house with objects. Instead, the idea was to work with a relatively restrained number of pieces, but make each one count through proportion, texture and materiality."

Addressing the unique layout challenges across different floors, she explained:

"Spatially, each floor presented almost the opposite problem. The ground floor was extremely generous and needed to be broken down into distinct living, dining and music areas without introducing walls. Upstairs and on the lower-ground floor, the challenge was much more about making every centimetre useful, incorporating storage and responding to very different qualities of natural light. We used furniture placement, rugs, lighting, art and bespoke joinery almost architecturally to define those spaces."

Concluding on the synthesis of contrast and continuity, Gidoin reflected:

"I think that contrast ultimately became one of the strengths of the project: some spaces needed to be given more definition, while others needed to work much harder within a smaller footprint. The bespoke elements helped us solve those very different conditions, while the consistent material palette and the clients’ art collection create continuity throughout the house."

Implications

The successful transformation of this Clerkenwell residence carries several wider implications for contemporary urban architecture and high-end interior design:

1. The Evolution of Open-Plan Living

For decades, open-plan layouts have reigned supreme in modern residential architecture. However, as this project demonstrates, sprawling open spaces can often feel cavernous, ungrounded, and devoid of human intimacy. By using bespoke joinery, carefully curated furniture layouts, and textural demarcation rather than traditional partitioning walls, MM Studio Interior offers a masterclass in how to humanize open-plan architecture without sacrificing its airy, fluid benefits.

2. Tactile Minimalism and Brutalist Warmth

Minimalism is frequently critiqued for feeling cold, sterile, or unlivable. This Clerkenwell home counters that narrative by championing "brutalist warmth." By employing raw, honest materials—such as rough travertine, dark walnuts, and aged leathers—the design proves that minimalism does not require visual monotony. Instead, when texture and materiality are prioritized, restrained spaces can feel profoundly rich, inviting, and layered.

3. The Re-use and Evolution of Architectural Icons

As high-profile properties change hands over the years—transitioning from fashion visionaries like Roksanda Ilincic to globetrotting art collectors—architects face the challenge of respecting previous architectural layers while making the home functional for new chapters of life. This remodel highlights a sustainable and respectful approach to high-end residential design: working with a home’s existing structural history rather than erasing it, and upgrading spaces only when lifestyle needs genuinely demand it.