BIG NEWS! We've got a fresh, new space at TOSH for you to explore.
With our 5th birthday this year, and many building updates taking place, we wanted to give our Meeting the special treatment too. The challenge was what to do with it, and how?! Luckily for us, we're surrounded by a bountiful community of creatives, one of whom was perfectly suited to the task.
Interior designer Ally of Studio Trevow has over a decade of industry experience. Ally founded her company in 2022 with a clear mission: to make interior design more accessible. With a philosophy centred around storytelling, her designs weave together the history of a space, the community that inhabits it, and the evocation of a particular feeling or essence.
We spoke with Ally about her design journey at TOSH - the process, its challenges, and some tips for all of our work from home spaces.
What were your impressions of the space before the redesign?
The space lacked character and felt somewhat neglected, especially after being used as a storage area for recent works at TOSH. It appeared tired and awkward, I saw it as a challenge worth tackling.
What were you hoping the redesign would bring to the space?
I hoped the redesign would inject some personality. TOSH is such a welcoming place, and this room needed to reflect that warmth. I aimed to make it a conversation starter, a place where people would enjoy holding meetings rather than just hiding away.
What's your favourite part of the refreshed room and why?
My favourite part is the painted ceiling. In a small, narrow space, feature walls can make it feel even more confined, and bold colours can be overwhelming. By placing the colour above the eye line and across the ceiling, we added ambience and preserved the room's spacious feel. The yellow was a perfect choice; it's associated with happiness, energy, and creativity, making the room feel like sunshine – exactly what it needed.
What was the biggest challenge of this space?
The biggest challenge was dealing with all the ‘gubbins’ – pipes, beams, doors, hatches, secondary glazing, and industrial lighting. I wanted to minimise their visual impact, so I added picture ledges to draw attention to beautiful artwork. Balancing the windows with statement acoustic panels helped draw focus, and reduce echo in the room. Ensuring the ceiling's paint line was just right was crucial and by extending the paint down the walls, encompassing the beams, sloped edges and hatch, we made the user read this as one surface - avoiding a cluttered look.
Is there a top trick or tip that you'd suggest others try when thinking about their home or working spaces?
Storage is crucial, especially if your home office is part of another room. Ensure you have enough drawers or cupboards to keep everything tidy when you want to switch off. IKEA is fantastic for this. Also, try zoning your space to help with mindset – a specific area for work and another for home. Zoning can be achieved with rugs or colour blocking; it doesn’t always require physical room dividers.
What would your dream design project be?
I love working with buildings that have history and stories I can tell. Finding the balance between old and new is exciting for me. A dream project for me would be a barn conversion, an old factory, or a warehouse – these would make fantastic homes or commercial spaces for businesses.
Looking for a space for your small group meetings, 1-1 therapy sessions, mentorship classes - and more? Hire the Meeting Room, from just £11 per hour.
Contact us to book, or to come and take a look around.
Our Meeting Room features artwork from local illustrators and designers Nat Cook, Karolin Schnoor and Lauren Marina.
Meeting Room photographs by Caroline Beale Johnson.
Ally Clifton portraits by Emma Roff.
