The refurbishment of Elsley House, a neglected Art Deco building in the heart of London’s vibrant Fitzrovia neighborhood, as an architects’ studio has created an elegant and productive environment that celebrates the creative history of its environs. The aim was to design for a studio culture, enable a cross-fertilization of ideas, promote staff health and wellbeing, and celebrate design excellence in all its forms. A dedicated gallery and events area engages the creative community by providing a space to showcase the work of artists, photographers, designers, thinkers and makers – space to host everything from workshops for children to conferences for professionals. As the building was stripped back to reveal its original character, a simple palette of black, white and natural brick evolved. The design was adapted to make a feature of the heritage brickwork. Riveted steel columns were uncovered and restored, paying homage to the building’s industrial heritage, with metal finished in matt black. We restored the original Crittall glazed windows in the main studio. We opened-up a structural bay in the center of the plan and revised the staircase design to a single flight. To maximise natural light, we introduced roof-lights above the lower ground workstations directing natural light deep within the floorplate, connecting the studio spaces around a central double-height presentation/display space.