Buckle Street Studios lands in East London
Design-led aparthotel brand Locke has opened Buckle Street Studios in Aldgate – its eleventh property and fifth location in London. Fittingly, it is located adjacent to the company’s first ever site, Leman Locke.
Spread over 13 storeys, Buckle Street Studios comprises 103 contemporary studio apartments, a concept store, co-working area, Shaman coffee shop and a meeting room. The new addition to the Locke portfolio breaks with brand convention, featuring a hybrid room mix that includes 87 compact apartments with cleverly designed kitchens and living areas, as well as 16 new hotel-style rooms – primed for short stay guests.
The property will be the first Locke to house a dedicated Makers Space that will champion emerging designers and artists, most of which are from the surrounding area. The concept store meanwhile will showcase limited edition items and collectables that blur the lines between art and commodity, including handmade items by bespoke sneaker designer AfroKickz, ceramicist Ally Powell and artist Dion Kitson. On the mezzanine floor, there will be a co-working space that is also set to host an evolving cultural programme.
Envisioned from the ground-up by New York City-based Matthew Grzywinski of Grzywinski+Pons – the design visionary behind the first four Locke locations – the building considers the experience of both those staying within the aparthotel for the night as well as passers-by observing its unique, glass-tiled exterior.
The enigmatic social spaces at Buckle Street Studios have been conceptualised to resemble an art gallery meets concept store, with museum-style vitrines encasing the store’s coveted curiosities. From its curved furniture and smooth arches to timber walls and neutral colour palette, the lobby has been elegantly curated as a calm, serene space where guests and locals can lounge and work for a few minutes or a few hours.
Grzywinski has continued this approach in the apartments, which combine sophisticated neutral tones and moody lighting with raw concrete and plaster alongside brushed brass finishes. The distinctive building exterior is defined by a translucent glass crown enclosing the top two floors, which has been consciously designed to resemble a modernist lighthouse – an iconic beacon from which guests can explore East London.
“Buckle Street Studios is the cherry on top of a busy year of new openings across Europe for Locke,” says Chief Development Officer and Creative Director, Eric Jafari. “The project is another masterstroke in design by Grzywinski+Pons, and an example of how hotels as spaces are evolving to become increasingly hybrid and versatile. The concept store and Makers Space are particularly exciting projects for us, and we hope that they will enable guests and locals to discover some of the most talented emerging creatives from around the UK.”
Complementing Locke’s long-stay apartments, the studios provide a base for those commuting into London or visiting for a city break. Guests will also have access to the social spaces at Leman Locke, which include a gym, Shaman coffee shop, co-working space and vegan destination restaurant, Alter by chef Andy Hogben.
