Urban Hermitage


Location: Clapham, London

Completion Date: 2016

Size: 26m2

Urban Hermitage aims to recreate the tranquil and melancholic beauty of a remote monastery in Belguim in a domestic studio flat in London. The client – a London based artist – wanted to find a way to transport the feeling of remoteness to the urban setting, exploring the concept of solitary and monastic seclusion amidst the bustle of London.

“The monastery sits in a valley hermetically cut off from the intrusions of the outside world… Back in London, outside the window of my room is a world full of business and noise. I am wondering, if it is possible to recreate that monastic ambiance that I experienced, to live a life of bucolic solitude, within my tiny room?”