Kate Spence and Simon Watkins founded HUB Architects in 2006 and bring many years of experience working on residential projects in the UK and Europe. Hub's work is timeless with a focus on the essence of good design and delivering elegant, buildings with exquisite, comfortable Interiors.
Kate and Simon gain inspiration through listening to their client’s interests, lifestyle and what is important to them, while they unearth a building’s history,’ context and surroundings. The team at HUB understand the technical constraints of delivering a project and the craft of building.
As both a BIID and RIBA chartered practice, combining expertise in Interior Design and Architecture, the HUB team ensure that the detail of the Interiors and the home owner's experience is considered from the earliest stages, alongside the Architectural elements. This way the right questions are asked from the start and opportunities are not missed.
Having been involved with the restoration of many listed buildings, HUB has a broad knowledge of Architectural Conservation. Their approach is sustainable and respectful, with a desire to preserve and enhance.
The team at HUB can deliver carefully detailed drawings for construction at all RIBA stages 1-7. This includes fine joinery and lighting with careful consideration of budget, and social and ecological environments.
The Interiors Department at HUB also specify the best interior products, informed by regular visits to tradeshows, art and craft fairs and associations with galleries and suppliers. The Interiors team will share their passion for colour, furniture, art and antiques to enable their clients to make their spaces truly remarkable and unique.
Above all, HUB’s greatest pleasure is to create places where people will love to be.
Architecture, Interior Design
"My style exudes effortless comfort, crossing both traditional and contemporary aesthetics and managing strong bold accents with elegant restraint. Often projects have elements of wit and surprise and can on occasions be grand and theatrical. It is this sense of fun and quirkiness alongside well-crafted details that uniquely defines each of my projects."
"When we undertook the complete renovation and interior decoration of a Grade 11 listed Regency Manor House, it was clear that the building had 'good bones'. Built in 1820, it was well proportioned with a Neo-Classic form, defined by symmetry and simple geometry. We wanted to ensure that the original building was respectfully restored but at the same time, we wanted the house to be homely. We replaced the 1980’s ceramic hall floor with limestone slabs and occasional slate cabochons, which reflect the original form of the entrance hall and contrast a dramatic sweeping oak staircase. The same stone flows through to the rear kitchen, morphing from a formal cut to a more random, honed layout. We believe that colour can be more than a background, it can give legibility and guidance to a building.
Taking some cues from the owners’ collection of paintings, we chose strong colours for the walls with lime white woodwork to emphasise the Regency joinery. In the hall, there is a single dark purple/brown door that draws you to the kitchen family room. The same purple turns around the door leaf and across the tall kitchen units, leading from a family dining room, with a reconfigured bay and double doors to the warm enveloping hues of the kitchen. The dining room is theatrical, with colour and light that transports and gives a sense of occasion and inspires conversation. The walls are painted a majestic dark blue and lit by glass globes, reminiscent of a Phileas Fogg homecoming.
By contrast, we decided that the living rooms should be serene. The drawing room has two distinct areas; the fireside space for lounging and a more 'upright' zone in the bow window, with a window seat that sits seamlessly alongside original paneling and grilles to allow heat from the radiators below. Beyond the sitting room, we added a new snug extension. It offers a space for downtime. Although it was important to have a warm atmosphere, we were also keen the room should have plenty of natural light and with this in mind, we added an octagonal roof lantern and a tall glazed door that sit perfectly alongside the rear elevation. We designed the bathrooms with careful attention to the setting out of fixtures and fittings. In order for a bathroom to be relaxing, it needs to be well-balanced and carefully planned so that nothing jars or distracts. We achieve this with precise drafting and coordination of all the components. The process can be onerous but planning is essential when it comes to the coordination of the four trades that will be involved with the construction process.
Above all, the project gave us the chance to combine Architecture and Interior Design seamlessly and without compromise."
