Established by Italian architect Chantal Martinelli and her French husband Julien Desormeaux, Mad Atelier is a little pocket of Mediterranean style transported to London’s East End. Opened in late 2017 on Lower Clapton Road, the store specialises in hand-selected playful pieces by contemporary designers, as well as vintage finds picked up by Chantal and Julien from galleries in Milan, Paris and Barcelona. The mix is constantly evolving as the duo discover new workshops, studios and craftspeople to collaborate with, often on exclusive pieces. A reflection of Chantal and Julien’s instincts rather than current trends, Mad Atelier’s vibe is a melting pot of Southern European and Northern African aesthetics – much like the Mediterranean itself. This sun-kissed oasis is also home of Chantal’s architecture and design studio, established in 2013, which has excelled in giving characterful and historic buildings a contemporary reimagining. Mad Atelier’s home, for example, is a former East London boozer that had been empty for 12 years before the couple gave it a new lease of life.
Meetings with Mad Atelier tend to stretch into riveting, in-depth discussions of the fascinating stories behind its products and their makers, so we’re ecstatic that we’ll have the opportunity to share these tales far and wide. We’re working with Chantal and Julien to promote the newly launched destination, its exclusive collaborations and quarterly exhibitions, as well as amplify the work of Chantal’s architectural studio.
Discover the wild and touching stories from The Lord Cecil, the Clapton pub that boutique Mad Atelier now calls home.
Mad Atelier celebrates the stories behind its studio space – a former East End pub in Clapton – with an oral history project and LDF installation.
The co-founder of Hackney’s newest creative hub explains how marrying an architecture studio with an interior boutique isn’t as mad as it sounds.