Julie Richards Loft, London

Julie Richards’ loft, London

I got in touch with the then young architect Julie Richards in 2004 via a dear friend of mine called Stephan Schulte who sought out with owners of unique loft spaces for film and commercial shoots. He told me he had seen a “special” loft and urged me to get in touch with Julie photograph it.

Upon walking into the space, and seeing the beautiful, curving and laser-etched glass wall to the bathroom and the opaque glass room divider used as a projection screen, I immediately realised how stunning it was.

Julie has recently graduated as an architect and this was her first personal project. She had managed to buy a floor in a derelict industrial building near Old Street, now trendy but then a forgotten part of London, and transformed it into a wonderful ultra high tech, contemporary home, even if on a strict budget.

Understandably, the images I captured on my trusty Hassleblad camera were soon snapped up by AD Italia, one of the best magazines around.

I still regard this small but perfectly laid out space with its inventive and evocative lighting, and the atmosphere Julie created with her use of materials and finishes, as amongst the most satisfying homes I have ever photographed.

This feature was published in AD Italia, October 2004