PAD lay the groundwork for Milton Studio, taking a disused structure and tranforming it into a three-storey shell.
They designed a twisted pitched roof to maximise natural sunlight and reduce overlooking issues in the neighbouring garden while thehighest section provides the head height required for the stair placement. Designers Ben and Oscar Wilson explain how they took the clever volume and transformed it into a multi-purpose recording studio.
When we inherited the project we had to consider how we could develop this envelope, which needed to accommodate a huge amount of music. We tried to think innovatively about how we could optimise the acoustic treatment and not have it look like a traditional sound recording studio. Many things needed to coexist and it was fantastic that we had three floors on such a small footprint – that was incredible.
We wrote the brief ourselves, which came out of conversations with the client. There were constraints around how much physical music had to be stored and we measured the owner’s collection by linear metre, which included 12-inch and seven-inch records and CDs. It was about making a semi private space that could house a lifetime’s collecting, but not have it feel like a record warehouse. The space is very personal to them, somewhere they can take guests to share music, for interviews, or to record live music.
In a lot of our work, we try to have quite a pared back material palette. We were all keen on using wood and both myself and Oscar have used plywood in our own homes. Plus, the client had a parquet floor they loved that PAD had specified for their house that was a great fit for the studio as well. On the practical side, for the sound treatment we worked with one of the client’s sound technicians to develop a series of bespoke acoustic panels that live on the counter tops above and below the drawers that hold the collection. The drawer fronts have integrated sound absorbers, and the record shelves all have a routered groove that helps to easily display record sleeves like pieces of artwork.
It was about making a semi private space that would house a lifetime’s collecting, but not have it feel like a ware- house. The space is very personal to them, somewhere where they can take people for interviews or to record live music.
The vast majority of the furnishing is bespoke, for example we designed a special podcasting table for the relaxed ground floor space that’s comfortable for people to sit around while you play the records. There’s a broadcasting turntable incorporated with microphones – it’s a functioning coffee table with that little bit more. The client also brought some pieces from their old studio such as the mid-century chairs you can see. We procured the library ladder, that’s a really lovely old vintage piece.
How does the lighting affect the space?
As we designed the furniture system, we were able to integrate fitted lighting within the DJ booth and downlighters above and below the shelving that help create different moods. There’s also a flexible track lighting system in the ceiling that we would typically use in a more commercial setting that provides an addi- tional layer of lighting in the space. Lastly the client has a vintage green glass pendant fitting that they call the disco ball. It adds a fun pop of colour and bridges the gap between it being a working studio where they can share music and a micro club where you can even jump around a bit.
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