Textured Warmth Shapes Apex Co-Working in King’s Cross

London architecture studio Anomaly has completed Apex, a waterfront co-working space in King’s Cross that challenges the cold, corporate feel of conventional offices through a layered, tactile interior.

Set within the Bennetts Associates-designed Tribecca development, the project pairs the solidity of concrete architecture with a softer, more human-centred material palette.

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Positioned along the canal in King’s Cross, Apex has been conceived as a workplace that prioritises comfort, adaptability and wellbeing. According to Anomaly’s head of interior design, Lucy Hillyer-Riley, the strategy focused on introducing tactile materials to offset the firmness of the base build.

“Introducing and playing with a variety of textures that are tactile and soft created a welcome contrast to the firmness and solidity of the basebuild architecture of Apex,” she said.

Visitors are welcomed by a striking rectilinear reception desk formed from low-carbon rammed earth in dusty pink, brown and orange tones. Developed in collaboration with Clayworks, the bespoke piece celebrates the material’s inherent variability. Layers of pigment and aggregate are compacted to create a monolithic form, with subtle imperfections that ensure no two elements are identical.

“What we love about rammed earth is that you can read how it’s made,” Hillyer-Riley explained. “The layers, the texture, the slight imperfections. No two rammed-earth elements could ever be the same, which felt right for a building that’s meant to have its own identity.”

A timber-clad stair leads to a café overlooking the canal, where chocolate-toned finishes create a warm, enveloping atmosphere. Wishbone chairs sit alongside marble-topped tables, while terrazzo flooring introduces a cooler counterpoint to the surrounding timber.

Across the workspace, communal tables replace rigid desk arrangements, accompanied by leather and upholstered seating designed to age gracefully. “Leathers introduce softness and comfort, particularly in seating, and were chosen because the material wears in rather than wearing out,” said Hillyer-Riley.

The result is a tonal, light-filled environment that balances durability with comfort. As co-working continues to evolve in the wake of shifting global work patterns, Apex reflects a growing emphasis on spaces that support both productivity and wellbeing, inviting users to return time and again.

Images by courtesy of Anomaly via Dezeen