20.2.25
East London Experts: In conversation with Mohammed Ageli of Studio Ageli
The Studio Ageli team in their Hackney Wick studio, headed up by Mo Ageli
We are lucky to have so many talented creatives in our local neighbourhood and Mohammed Ageli is one of them. Director of architectural practice Studio Ageli, we recently caught up with Mo to talk about Studio Ageli's journey from crumbling warehouse beginnings to their beautiful new studio in Hackney Wick, as well as why he is proud to call East London his home.
I moved to Broadway Market in my early 20s and never left the East End...
I now live in Victoria Park village with my family, and I feel so lucky to walk across Vicky Park to my studio every day and be part of the fabric of this creative community.
Studio Ageli stems from a collaborative and creative studio environment and was founded with the intention of always putting our client first...
Our first office was in a crumbling old warehouse in Hackney Central, filled with other emerging creatives spanning everything from art to industrial design and fashion. We worked on projects with our studio neighbours and things went from there. Today, (from our new, improved office!) we still approach each job as a shared experience; taking the time to understand our clients’ unique needs and their personality, to deliver a project that surpasses their expectations.
We don’t have an in-house style per-se, but we are influenced by all aspects of culture, with a focus on quality and materials...
We pride ourselves on creating design that reflects our client and meets their needs, to bring them joy for years to come. We work across a lot of different sectors, and I think that cross-pollination is a benefit; for example, we will bring aspects of our high-end restaurant interiors to domestic projects, and a wider choice of materials into all our work from our breadth of experience on commercial projects.
East London has a rich and varied history with a specific character...
I’m someone who loves walking and travelling within East London’s different neighbourhoods. It’s constantly changing and at the forefront of the creative industries, so it’s an infinite source of inspiration and has been a direct influence on our work for over 20 years.
We recently completed a fabulous extension and refit of the house of a well-known chef...
It was great fun to develop the kitchen of their dreams – beautiful and yet functional. We used Corten steel to open up a quintessential dark and narrow Victorian terrace house and create a strong connection between the garden and interior, which is a challenge we’re often set by clients. The house is now bright, spacious and welcoming, with all the functionality of a commercial kitchen; and accommodates everything from large supper clubs to photoshoots for the chef’s latest cookbook. We were invited to a delicious housewarming meal as a thank you, which was a great end to the project, and a highlight!
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A sunny weekend in East Londion would be spent...
I would kick off an ideal East London Saturday with a steam at Hackey Wick Community Sauna. Suitably refreshed, the next stop would be Brat Climpsons Arch for lunch, then a stroll over to see an exhibition at the Whitechapel gallery in the afternoon via Broadway Market, Columbia Road and Brick Lane, leaving no stone unturned – I love a market! On the Sunday I would need a long lie to recover from the week and take it easy: a coffee in Victoria Park village reading a weekend paper, followed by lunch at the food market in the park. I’d round things off with a show at Wilton's Music Hall followed by dinner at Chinese eatery Xi’an Biang Biang just off Commercial Street. I’d most likely walk home, to take in the architecture and atmosphere, and mentally prepare for another exciting week at the studio.
East London's best kept secret...
As an architect I feel I must mention a building and have no hesitation in recommending Maguire and Murray’s masterpiece, St Paul’s Church, Bow Common to anyone. It’s the most surprising space, built from common everyday materials, elevated to create a truly remarkable piece of architecture: confident, refined, inspiring, contemplative, but ultimately open and welcoming. Musarc, the experimental choir perform a dusk event there every Midsummer, and the whole building comes alive, it’s a work of art.
My East London guilty pleasure...
Kristina Records is my no.1 go-to guilty pleasure in the neighbourhood. Where else can you listen to and browse endless records, and buy carefully curated vintage streetwear, while sipping an amazing coffee in a wonderful environment?
To find out more about Studio Ageli and the services they offer, you can visit their website here and see a showcase of some of their work on their instagram here.
Posted on
20/2/25
