From neighbourhood cafés to design-led stores and community hangouts, make the most of this hip London area with our insights from local design insiders
Photography courtesy of The House by M.AH
Words by Harriet Thorpe
One of East London’s many villages, London Fields is named after the pleasant park around which the neighbourhood congregates. Informally bordered by Regent’s Canal to the south and the borough of Hackney’s main artery Mare Street to the east, its loosely defined by its lively social hubs collected around Broadway Market, the Overground station and Wilton Way where you’ll find cutting-edge concept stores, new-wave bakeries and synergetic workspaces. Peruse this itinerary for Cockney art deco, spirulina soap, eclectic ceramics, limited-edition buttercream icing, industrial retrofits and biophilic interiors.
Photography courtesy of Cubitts
1. Cubitts Broadway Market
Browsing spectacles at Cubitts Broadway Market is also an experience of Cockney history, thanks to the location inside a former pie, mash and jellied eel shop named F. Cooke, originally founded in 1862. The Grade II-listed interior dating back to 1939 features blue and yellow tiles, terrazzo flooring, stained glass and mirrored panels, has been beautifully cleaned up and adapted with new marble tables by Ebba Architects. The kitchen is now an eye-testing room and Cubitts has a special frame named ‘Cooke’, which draws on 1860s hexagonal spectacles, sold exclusively on Broadway Market. 9 Broadway Market, London E8 4PH, cubitts.com
2. Momosan Shop
Established by owner Momoko Mizutani as a showcase for Japanese crafts and design objects in London, Momosan Shop draws visitors from across the city to the pleasant Wilton Way, just north of London Fields park. The uplifting shop presents a curated selection of original and functional design objects by independent craftspeople. The latest seasonal window display presents the work of London-based Japanese duo Mentsen (Yasuyuki Sakurai and Risa Sano), including playful salt and pepper grinders, trays and soaps all resourcefully made out of surplus wood. 79a Wilton Way, London E8 1BG, momosanshop.com
Photography courtesy of Haeckels
3. Haeckels House
Originally founded in 2012 in Margate with a seaweed soap, sustainable skincare brand Haeckels offers treatments and products from its Broadway Market ‘house’. Inspired by the ‘power of the ocean’, Haeckels has an in-house laboratory that has pioneered its ‘microbial skincare’ approach with 100 percent natural ingredients including bacteria and fungi, as well as experiments with compostable wrapping and more. The clean and calming interior features a blue floor, brushed aluminium shelving and scientific flasks growing spirulina, a type of algae. A limited edition collaboration with Broadway Market neighbours Ozone Coffee Roasters, utilises waste coffee in a soap and waste coffee cups for its packaging. 16 Broadway Market, London, haeckels.house
Photography courtesy of The House by M.AH
4. The House by M.A.H
A scenographic interior design gallery and rotating retail space styled with eclectic art, furniture and collectibles spanning traditional, modern and contemporary oeuvres and all kinds of craftsmanship, The House by M.A.H is described by its founder and director Laura Fulmine as an ‘ever-evolving canvas for living’. Founded in 2018, it opened in its London Fields location, just on the edge of Bethnal Green on Vyner Street, in 2022. It’s currently set up as an opulent bedroom and study with a sensual decor including a bespoke Marmoleum floor designed by Sinclair Till; a vast Vanessa King Size bed by Afra and Tobias Scarpa for Gavina (1959); sculptural, earthy ceramics by Ruby Kinnear Jones and a ceramic tiled stool by Subin Seol, both RCA graduates; and a velvet love seat upholstered in Vladimiro Mohair by Cedar. 2B Vyner Street, London E2 9DG, thehousebymah.com
Photography by Adrianna Giakoumis
5. Pophams
This artisanal bakery first opened in a former derelict chemist in Islington in 2017. Two years later, it found another home beneath a railway arch in London Fields where it also doubles up as a pasta restaurant. Its minimal, warm interior inspired by Scandinavian and Japanese design features a painting of a giant spaghetti bowl and bottle of wine by local artist Lucie Gray; generous communal tables and an open kitchen with a solid oak bar made by Freddie Dodson of Tatara Workshop. Food and drink is served from an eclectic mix of handcrafted stoneware by local makers including Jess Joss, Skye Corewijn, Lucia Ocejo, Grace McCarthy, Rebecca Morris and Lora Huws. Next door you’ll find Popham’s Home, which sells ceramics, linens and glassware and Popham’s Workshop, a hub for makers to host meetings and events. 197 Richmond Road, London E8 3NJ, pophamsbakery.com
Photography by Oliver Hooson
6. Violet Cakes
Claire Ptak’s laid-back bakery and cafe on Wilton Way is famed for its cute celebratory cupcakes, organic recipes, limited edition buttercream icings and iconic seasonal bakes such as tequila pumpkin pie. The California-born food writer, stylist and recipe developer once worked as a pastry chef for Alice Waters at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. After moving to London, she landed a market stall on Broadway Market and opened Violet Cakes in 2010. Ptak has recently released her fifth cookbook, interviews creative women such as Ruthie Rogers and Mary Katrantzou on her podcast, has a tote bag collaboration with Christopher Kane and her fans include Simone Rocha and Meghan Markle. 47 Wilton Way, London E8 3ED, violetcakes.com
7. Second Home London Fields
It’s hard to miss Madrid-based Estudio Cano Lasso’s bright orange and plastic EFTE building designed for co-working space operator Second Home’s London Fields location (its fourth in London). Oozing biophilia and biomimicry through curvy walls, plant-filled light tunnels and cork acoustic panels, the interior design champions Second Home’s approach to forging an atmosphere of wellbeing, productivity and creativity for its members. Facilities including a cafe, outdoor courtyard, crèche and outdoor play area encourage community alongside entrepreneurship and innovation through multiple member packages. 125-127 Mare St, London E8 3RN, secondhome.io
Photography by Mariell Lind Hansen
8. Regent Studios
An 8 storey brick and concrete former light industrial building from 1965, once known as Ada Street Workshops, is now the buzzing shared workspace named Regents Studios. It’s home to many small creative businesses and design practices such as photographer Peter Guenzel, artist Camille Wallala, publisher Hoxton Mini Press, progressive design communications agency Zetteler and architecture studio Emil Eve, who were behind the building’s low cost and light touch renovation which has extended its life. ‘We are on the 5th floor and can see down the Regent Canal, past the historic gas holders, and over to the City skyline with the Gherkin and Shard. The light is amazing and we feel like we’re up in the clouds, immersed in the changing weather,’ says Emma Perkin, architect and director, Emil Eve. 8 Andrews Rd, Cambridge Heath, London E8 4QN
Photography by Matthee Eades
9. Elliot’s
Known for its wood fired grill and oven, progressive natural wine list and menu bursting with British sourced produce and multifarious sough dough pizza toppings, Elliot’s restaurant opened its second location on London Fields’ Mare Street in 2021 (following its Borough Market spot in 2011). Owners Samantha Lim and Brett Redman were drawn to the area for its exciting restaurant scene and commissioned Oslo and London based architects Hesselbrand to design the restaurant’s relaxed and upbeat interior. There’s a curved bar made of sustainably sourced eucalyptus wood and brushed stainless steel, oak wall panels, a citrus-coloured floor, benches with cobalt blue seat pads and an orange awning over the large windows – excellent for East London people-watching. 121-123 Mare St, London E8 4RH, elliots.london/hackney
Get a curated collection of design and architecture news in your inbox by signing up to our ICON Weekly newsletter or discover more Design Destination features here
