Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

The Wildly Colorful Home of Designer Morag Myerscough in London

The Wildly Colorful Home of Designer Morag Myerscough in London

The converted pub is now a live/work space that beams with bright patterns and bold graphics thanks to a makeover from the New London Fabulous artist.

In east London’s artsy Shoreditch neighborhood, a handsome three-story building dressed in yellow stock brick serves as a spirited live/work space for celebrated designer Morag Myerscough and her artist partner Luke Morgan. The Victorian structure was used as a pub until the 1970s, after which it became a car designer’s workshop. While the building sports a fairly modest facade, its reimagined interiors present a truly vivacious color palette.



Since buying the property in 2005, the New London Fabulous artist and designer has enlivened the home with her typically bold stamp-as evidenced by a cheerful mural near the entrance to one of the building’s studio spaces.

Measuring close to 4,500 square feet, the multipurpose building features two light-filled studios, a basement, and a large roof terrace. It also offers two separate entrances-one to the residence, the other to the commercial space-which allows for a distinction between the live/work areas. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the New London Fabulous artist and designer infused the dwelling with a brilliant array of bold colors and patterns after she acquired the building in 2005.



The rear studio currently serves as a work space for Morag’s partner, artist Luke Morgan. It features a pitched roof with glazing that sweeps in natural light.

"I walked inside and it was total love," recalls Morag, who notes that the building was empty-and quite a bit beyond her budget. "Although it required quite a lot of imagination to make it work, it was my absolute dream home. I wanted the building so much that I managed to stretch myself to buy it almost a year after I first saw it."



An all-white hallway opens to the main living areas, which presents a stark contrast to the rest of the colorful home. "I like white space and modernist furniture, which I’ve been collecting for years," says Morag.

In the residential section, a rainbow-colored library with an open fireplace and painted built-ins extends a warm welcome to the home. A stark white staircase leads to the first floor, where the primary gathering spaces include an open-plan living room, dining area, and kitchen.



"My most treasured possession is a Danish sofa in the living area that pulls out into a single bed, which I bought from Twentytwentyone about 20 years ago," Morag says. "For years, I kept it in the original fabric, but it then got quite horrible so I covered it in a yellow cloth."

Stripped pine floors run throughout the home, contrasting with the white walls and vibrant pops of decorative color. Large windows span the south- and east-facing facades of the building, infusing the interior spaces with natural light. "Each bit of the house has a different language, which makes every corner feel interesting," Morag says. "The house could work for one person living alone or for a family; nothing about it feels unmanageable."



The living room, dining area, and kitchen are positioned in an L-shape with windows wrapped around each space.

The top floor, which houses the private bedroom wing, is arranged "as a series of texture-filled, interconnecting spaces that rise above the house like a permanent Bedouin tent," Morag explains. The principal bedroom features a cozy seating area with bespoke furniture, and also provides access to the decked terrace-another space that Morag brought to life.



On the first floor, the kitchen looks out toward the dining and living areas.

The commercial portion of the home is comprised of two spacious studios that are arranged in an L-shape at the building’s rear. "One of the spaces has a large roller door that you can drive into-which is presumably a remnant from the building’s days as a car workshop-but that’s been very useful for us when we move our artworks around," says Morag. "There’s also a big basement, which is excellent for storage."



The home office can also be used as a gym or extra bedroom.

"I’ve loved working in my studio and having natural light throughout the whole year," Morag continues. "Luke’s studio has a mezzanine level, which offers great light for his screen printing, too."



"We built the colorful library during lockdown in what is a very decent-size entrance hallway," Morag says. "I’d originally kept my books in the back studio space, but when Luke moved into it in 2017, I decided this would be the perfect place to keep them all."

After owning the converted Shoreditch building for more than 15 years, the creative couple are now looking for a new buyer to appreciate the space. "I never thought I’d sell this place, but if we don’t do it now we’ll end up staying here forever," says Morag. "We want to pass this on to someone who will make it their own and love it as much as we have."

"We’re not precious about it though," the designer continues. "The building offers so many possibilities-the front could be turned into a shop, restaurant, or gallery. It’s just ready for another layer now." Scroll ahead to see more of the vibrant east London home.



For more than 15 years, the London-based designer has used the converted building as a canvas to create her "own little world." Throughout the home, "there are pockets that reflect my identity as an artist," explains Morag.



The principal bedroom presents a largely muted, gray palette. "Luke is a big believer that you should sleep in dark rooms," Morag says. "It’s incredibly calming and quiet."



A large soaking tub sits in the corner of the principal bedroom.



Sandwiched between the bedroom and terrace is a vibrant reading nook, which the creative duo call the Summer Room. The artists designed the built-in seating to include a bespoke planter.



"I painted the terrace during lockdown with bold, geometric patterns and colors," adds Morag. "I love being out there. It’s an absolute sun trap."



Another one of the large studios also features a soaring pitched roof.



"I’ve always been able to separate my work from the surroundings in which I live, and it’s been amazingly easy to keep the two quite distinct here," Morag says. "But this is the longest I've ever lived anywhere, and it feels like the right time to find a new environment."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×