Feix&Merlin Architects

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Feix&Merlin Architects

Feix&Merlin is a creative design studio, co-founded by Julia Feix & Tarek Merlin in 2006, working across architecture, interiors and product design.

Feix&Merlin is a boutique design studio based in London. Since its creation in 2006, Feix&Merlin have consistently produced work that is magical and full of mystery, “We strive to keep an emphasis on work that is progressive, unusual and whimsical."

05/02/2025

Tarek will be speaking at MIPIM 2025, joined by .oki , President of RIBA, to discuss The Value of Good Design.

As Britain embarks on its biggest housebuilding programme since the post-war era, how do we ensure that quality isn’t sacrificed for quantity? Who defines what good design really is—and how do we measure its impact?

Should prizewinning projects like the Elizabeth Line and Chowdury Walk in Hackney set the benchmark for all publicly funded architecture to ensure that a well-designed built environment isn’t just for the wealthy?
Who determines what good design is?
How is it assessed and measured?

Join the conversation at MIPIM 2025:
📌 London Stand Stage - C14
📅 Thursday, 13th March
⏰ 10:00 - 10:45 AM

This discussion builds on Tarek’s recent article in Architects’ Journal, ”Queering Housing Design“, which challenges the rigid, outdated conventions that still shape our homes today. It stems from Feix & Merlin and ‘s think-tank design module at the , which explored housing through the lens of q***r identities—re-examining housing standards, inheritance laws, and spatial hierarchies to propose a more flexible, adaptive approach to home design.

🔗 Read more in , link in bio 🔼

***ringhousing

04/02/2025

🌈 What if we looked at housing design through a new lens?
In 2024, Feix & Merlin, and IF_DO co-led a think-tank design module at the The London School of Architecture that explored housing through the lens of q***r identities. Seven talented students delved into detailed research, analysing housing standards and inheritance laws, and created a manifesto for change. This culminated in a mini design proposal for a multi-generational, q***r-affirming housing development in Waltham Forest.

This experience sparked important questions: Why do so many large housing developments look so similar? And why do most new-build apartments adhere to the same conventional layouts?

By q***ring housing design—embracing flexibility, inclusivity, and diversity—we can reimagine homes that reflect real lives and relationships. This isn’t about replacing existing standards but expanding them. Architects, developers, and residents alike could have the freedom to create spaces that adapt and inspire. Could this shift help challenge the status quo and spark innovation?

Read Tarek Merlin’s thought-provoking article, published in , on how housing design can evolve for a more inclusive future, link in bio 🔼

03/02/2025

🏠 Are we designing homes for the way people really live?
Housing standards, originally introduced to ensure quality, have unintentionally created rigid, one-size-fits-all rules that box in architects and developers.

Developers shy away from alternatives to avoid planning conflicts, while architects face limitations from time, scope, and fees. The result? A standard 2B4P (70sqm) apartment layout rooted in outdated, heteronormative ideals of living—leaving little room for diverse or evolving lifestyles.

These frameworks stifle innovation, offer no flexibility, and fail to reflect the diversity of modern relationships and the ways we actually live. Standards still cater to the traditional nuclear family model, ignoring the reality of today’s varied lifestyles.

🔗 Read more in AJ, link in bio 🔼

***ringhousing ***rarchitecture

15/01/2025

▶️ A light touch approach
A common thread that runs through the refurbishment of Walworth Town Hall is a light touch approach, celebrating the rich layers of history and existing character of the spaces, and heritage features including tiled finishes, timber flooring, ornate cornices and columns, fireplaces and windows.

A unifying feature of the office spaces is the dado line below which everything has been cleaned and refinished and above which the original finishes have been largely preserved ‘as found’. The plaster has been cleaned and stabilized, but the layers of various finishes, pockmarks, and even traces of fire damage have been intentionally left visible, serving as a visual record and a celebration of the building’s rich history.
Wherever old partitions have been lost in the fire or removed due to instability, a strip of polished microcement framed with brass trims on the floor and walls has been installed to denote where these old walls used to be. Original oak floors with complementary herringbone parquet have been retained, sanded and refinished.

▶️ The former Cuming Museum
The design for the former Cuming Museum included opening up the grand long space removing modern partitions and showcasing the ribbed and barrel-vaulted ceiling. New rooflights are proposed adding natural light already coming through from the existing high-level arched window to the North.

▶️ Improved access
The original town hall was actually a collection of four individual buildings with extensions/infills, all with different floor levels and separate circulation spaces, mostly without lift access.

We introduced a new lift core connecting the individual buildings in strategic places creating level access, ensuring a more accessible building. Most of the ground floor is open to the public, reinforcing our commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone.

▶️ External spaces
The proposals include new external terraces, walkways, and a courtyard featuring glazed white bricks and London stock brick, colourful patterned tiles, timber canopies and planting.

Photographer’s credit

14/01/2025

The former council chamber in Walworth Town Hall is a striking example of how to achieve a harmonious balance between heritage restoration and bold contemporary design.

This room suffered the most extensive fire damage, as the blaze originated in the roof above. All original heritage features were lost, leaving only the four walls intact. In its restoration, a new heritage roof has been reinstated, featuring a new open ceiling that creates a stunning triple-height space. This design celebrates the new CLT timber structure as a modern interpretation of the original structural design.

Over the centre of the space, a specialist lighting feature featuring a recessed Barrisol lighting system, creates a bright and captivating focal point. The original second-floor viewing gallery has been thoughtfully extended to form a new workspace that gracefully wraps around the room. A new metal balustrade with a perforated pattern has been designed to echo the decorative details of the historic public viewing gallery railing.

Photographer’s credit

13/01/2025

The former library on the first floor of Walworth Town Hall has been completely transformed into a new contemporary workspace. The previously installed modern panels which were attached to the upper balustrade have been stripped out, leaving a much more open view of the historic timber bookcases, and allowing the daylight to flood into the space. All the joinery has been lovingly cleaned, sanded and refinished, the existing carpet has been lifted to reveal the original herringbone timber floor, bringing the room back to life.

Look out for what could be the cutest spiral staircase ever built, which used to give access all the way up the building from the ground floor, through the first floor to the librarian’s study and quarters above. The staircase has been saved and restored, and the access sealed off for fire separation purposes.

Photographer’s credit

12/01/2025

The main staircase at Walworth Town Hall has gone through a careful restoration agreed with Historic England including traditional lath & plaster finishes, restoration of the existing stone steps and ornate balustrade, stained glass windows, arched recesses and timber panels, as well as a new central skylight replacing the old damaged one, a modern touch complementing the restored features.

Throughout the development, Feix&Merlin and General Projects worked closely with Southwark Council, Historic England, and local community groups to ensure that the design of the building created the perfect balance between careful restoration in some of the most significant heritage spaces, whilst at the same time creating a bold new contemporary vision for the building, responding to the needs of modern creative businesses as well as local residents.

Photographer’s credit

11/01/2025

The ground floor of Walworth Town Hall has been completely opened up, featuring a new public café and restaurant, lounges, agile workspaces, a community centre, and a public events space. The central lobby serves as a public meeting area, complemented by a healthy café and restaurant, which will become Jusu Brothers’ second London location.

The café creates a welcoming arrival space for all to enjoy. Brass-trimmed, polished concrete floor infills outline the layout of the historical walls lost in the fire. New glulam timber columns and arches support the CLT slab above, bringing warmth and a natural feel to the space. Where structural interventions were necessary, sustainability was prioritized by using Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) and Glulam as the primary materials. These choices ensured the best possible environmental outcomes, aligning the building‘s future with contemporary sustainability standards.

The community centre will function as a creative, cultural and diverse multi-use space which will be available to local groups and organisations to provide a range of programmes, events and classes for the local community. The space will be overseen by the Walworth Town Hall Community Centre Board, a non-for-profit organisation consisting of local residents, council and developer representatives, and operated in collaboration with General Projects’ dedicated management arm, General People. The community centre is configured as a series of three flexible rooms to accommodate a range of uses and functions with its own dedicated entrance, meeting rooms, toilet facilities and large open plan events space.

Photographer’s credit

10/01/2025

🏛️Walworth Town Hall is complete!
Feix&Merlin and creative real estate developer General Projects, in partnership with Southwark, have completed the transformation of Walworth Town Hall, reinvented as a dynamic new workspace and community hub, breathing new life into the Grade-II listed landmark over a decade after it was damaged by fire.

The fire damage in 2013 resulted in Historic England placing the property on its “Heritage at Risk” register. Since then, the town hall has been sensitively restored and given a new life and was formally removed from the “Heritage at Risk” register in 2024.

New workspaces will support over 550 workers across a mix of flexible offices and coworking desks to establish a new destination, tailor-made for independent, creative businesses. The restoration and development provide a series of dedicated public spaces, including a community centre, a new public café and restaurant located within the dynamic central lobby.

A new main entrance has been formed on the north side of the building to create a new connection onto the new civic square. The new wide and welcoming stairs rise up from the square leading into the new café and reception area via the new doors that were created by lowering three of the existing windows facing the square.

The full site comprises 50,000 sq ft, including the former town hall and adjoining former Newington Library and Cuming Museum.

Photographer’s credit

17/12/2024

Tribe Düsseldorf [6/6] The images for the artwork in the guestrooms were derived from a custom photoshoot, curated by Feix&Merlin in collaboration with local artist Isabella Bellis. The photoshoot was especially shot for the hotel on-site in one of the hotel rooms. The photoshoot featured individuals from diverse backgrounds in the Düsseldorf area, further reinforcing the hotel’s commitment to inclusivity and community engagement.

The design for the guestrooms come in three different colours, a deep plum colour; sage green and a sand Yellow, all muted colours referencing the idea of elegant romance of travel.

The corridors feature a custom design carpet with inclusivity symbol and arched motif, designed by Feix&Merlin.

A huge thank you to the legendary project team — this wouldn’t have been possible without you and the supportive collaborative work culture you all created. Well done and congratulations to everyone involved!

Project Team
Client and Property Owner:
Bellisger Holding GmbH & Co.KG
TRIBE Brand:
TRIBE Operator: .europe
Project Manager: .welovehotels
Architect: Sporer Plus
Interior Designer: Feix&Merlin
FF&E Procurement: Feuring
Lighting Designer: LKL Licht Kunst Licht AG
Art Consultant: Susanne Jäger-Breitenbach
Local Art Gallery: Klaus Rosskothen
Local Artist: Isabella Melis

We had the pleasure of working with some fantastic suppliers, including egecarpetsuk .murphy , FARO, , Linea Light GmbH, Parla, .com_Interiors and

Address

Unit C2, Bussey Building, 133 Copeland Road, Peckham
London
SE15 3SN

Website

http://www.feixandmerlin.com/

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