The Architects

Studio naama is a multidisciplinary design practice founded by Natalie Savva and Mark Rist, with a shared desire to participate, embolden, create and build. We are a playful and experimental studio, grounded in research, merging domestic and public typologies and considering our architecture as part of its wider community. Fabrication, the craft of building, and creating tactility, movement and atmospheres are at our core; sustainability is a given; we frame vernacular and heritage through a lens of constant change, never static, always evolving. We retrofit and build new architectures, furnitures and public objects, producing creative, beautiful and socially engaging environments across all project typologies. In 2023 the studio won a New London Architecture Don’t Move Improve! Award and were shortlisted for the Architects Journal Small Projects Award.

Skyler House

A simple ground floor 50’s garden apartment in a two storey block of four, not without charm and full of subtle thoughtful design; a side entrance for the flat above and a central front entrance at ground floor create the illusion of a streetscape of semidetached houses, with private entrances and front gardens.

The window orientation lies East to West, morning and evening playing a big part in the use of the home, and the apartment had a formal layout of isolated rooms with a long central enclosed hallway. We perforated the corridor with windows, curtains and enlarged throughways; we removed the wall separating West and East allowing spaces to be shared and blended; a new hatch connects the office to the kitchen and a new door creates a garden view for Sky, the dog; we insulated, treated the floors and kept costs low; filled the space with colour and texture and warmth and places for the clients to embellish and make their own.

“Working with Mark and Natalie at Studio Naama was a truly rewarding experience for my partner and me. We purchased a two-bed flat that needed significant work but had potential. Our vision was to create a fluid internal/external space, bring in more natural light, and design a home that could evolve with us over time, all within a realistic budget. From day one, Mark and Natalie understood our objectives and designed elements that delivered the most impact for the space and our budget.

They went far beyond the design phase, guiding us through planning permissions, tendering, selecting materials, and navigating the inevitable curveballs of the build. They fought for the details that mattered and ensured the final result matched our vision, even staining our resin kitchen island at 10pm on a Tuesday when a builder issue arose. They also encouraged us to try new things, like building our own furniture. They designed our dining and bedside tables, and spent a Sunday with us to build them. The result is a home we’re truly proud of. It wouldn’t have been possible without Studio Naama, and we couldn’t recommend them more”.