How House of Kin transformed a tired and undersubscribed nursery into a river-inspired world of play

Holly Road is part of the Riverside nursery group. Settled in a historically significant but tired building with zero outdoor space and struggling occupancy, they called on House of Kin during a global pandemic, with an immovable opening date just 12 weeks away.

We transformed the space using a playful river-journey concept, blending Scandi and Hygge with sustainable materials.

The award-winning design resulted in full occupancy for the now-busy pre-school and an ongoing partnership with Dukes Education, with four more nursery sites redesigned and counting.

Finding the source  

In the midst of a global pandemic, the CEO of Dukes Education got in touch with House of Kin, asking us if it was possible to turn one of the lower-occupancy Riverside nurseries into a playful Scandi-inspired space echoing the work he’d seen at Maggie and Rose Islington.

Masked and adhering to the ever-changing rules around social distancing, we took on the monumental task of transforming the dank, tired former Church-turned-lumber store-turned-office-turned-nursery into a welcoming, engaging nursery that would meet the high expectations of prospective families. 

Unchartered waters 

With its multiple past lives, Holly Road is a building rich in history, and we were keen to build on that rather than strip it out. But the entire building, though beautiful, was lacklustre and lacking in any outdoor space. 

The dwindling occupancy was becoming a real concern for the nursery. We needed to redesign and breathe life back into the building, encouraging families through the door and getting them excited about sending their children to a nursery like Riverside’s. 

And we had just 12 weeks to do it. 

Running the river

Given that the Riverside nurseries all lie near the banks of the River Thames, the design concept was inspired by the river itself. We wanted to echo the joyful, carefree time spent growing up beside it, reflecting through play, how children can learn from its lifecycle and the abundance of nature nearby. 

To tackle the lack of outdoor space, we decided to bring the outdoors in. The building's former life as a church meant generously high ceilings, so we were able to get creative with multiple bespoke play-learn structures for children to climb, crawl, slide, and explore, as if they were climbing trees and hopping over stepping stones in and along the river itself.   

Bespoke furniture, birch plywood, and a collection of soft furnishings, including giant foam river rocks, added warmth to the sizeable space, creating a truly original ‘Montessori meets hygge’ indoor-outdoor classroom environment.

Reflective surfaces, flowing curtains, fish-scale walls, perspex bubbles, and a colour palette of pastel and powdery, earthy tones made for soothing classrooms designed to inspire play-led learning and growth for our hardest-to-please and most important clients... the children. 

Sustainability led all design decisions; the fish-scale tiles were made from recycled plastic bottles, the flooring from wood waste, and the reception desk and surrounding walls are clad in eco-friendly cork. Combined with sourcing durable play items built to withstand daily use by hundreds of little hands, the design was made to last as well as delight. 

The Riverside nursery has become an inviting space that evokes a sense of calm as you meander through the reception area, corridors, and other public spaces. 

From stream to mighty river 

Aside from making the existing families cry (whoops!) when they saw what we’d done with the space, Holly Road has been full since the day it reopened. 

Here's what Aatif Hassan, CEO of Dukes Education, had to say about the experience. 

"The design creativity and thought that went into each child's journey through their spaces is the magic we wanted them to bring to our early years offering…they've definitely done a great job of making our settings more appealing while meeting the high standards our customers expect. You get a very hands-on service from House of Kin. They're responsive project managers - you can get hold of them! They're there from concept to launch party, never failing to meet deadlines. They care. As a result of Riverside, I've lost count of how many projects we've done together now."

Holly Road, Riverside, was our first House of Kin design project, and it remains one of our proudest.

It wasn’t just returning families that were wowed by our river-inspired design; the Dezeen longlisted us for an award, and the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) gave us an award - we weren’t the only ones who loved this project to bits!

Here's what the BIID had to say

"The judges praised this harmonious and child-friendly design, emphasising sustainability with cork-clad walls, wood waste flooring, and recycled plastic bottle tiles. The space offers various interactive areas tailored to different personalities, fostering engagement through adaptive units and play structures. Overall, the design is imaginative, thoughtful, and perfect for children's learning and growth."

Curious about what we could do for your nursery or early-years setting? 

Tell us about your space by filling in our enquiry form, and we’ll be right in touch to find out more about what you need.