about
A small, focused
residential design studio
We design and deliver residential projects from first idea to finished home, working with the proximity and care of a small studio.
WHY THE PRACTICE EXISTS
A different way of working
In larger practices, the work can be technically satisfying but distant. You can spend years on a scheme and never meet the people who'll live there, never see the finished result, never be part of the moment when a space becomes a home.
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We wanted to do it differently. Know each client. Be involved long enough to see the project through. Build a reputation through completed work and personal recommendation, not volume.
Robert McBride
THE FOUNDER
BSc · MFPWS · Director
Robert began working in the industry in 2005 and qualified from Nottingham Trent University in 2007, starting his career in small practices in Nottingham before relocating to London in 2012. In London he worked first in residential design at a small studio, then at a larger practice where he contributed to a high-rise scheme of approximately 500 units.
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Over 20 years and more than 300 projects across those practices shaped his approach: the technical rigour of major schemes, applied to residential work with the proximity and care of a small studio.
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He is also a registered party wall surveyor with the Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors, which anyone can verify on the FPWS register.
THE RESIDENTIAL DESIGN STUDIO TODAY
Studio: MASS, in 2026
The practice has been running since November 2017. We worked through the pandemic years and have completed many residential projects across London in the time since.
The studio operates from Hoxton with a satellite office in Newark.
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Most new work now comes through past clients and trusted contractor referrals. We've kept the practice deliberately small, and intend to keep it that way. There are no handovers between business development, design, and delivery.
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The person who reviews your project at Stage Zero is the same person who oversees Stage Four.
WHAT WE SPECIaLISE IN
Residential Design
Residential design across all property types, with significant depth of experience in London Victorian terraces, Edwardian period homes, conservation areas, and properties affected by Article 4 directions.