Art Barn
Inch, Co. Kerry
2026
In Planning
Inch, Co. Kerry
2026
In Planning
A new artist’s studio provides a dedicated space for the practice of visual artist Laura Fitzgerald, whose work draws deeply upon the agricultural traditions, material culture and everyday life of the surrounding countryside.
Conceived as a modest, freestanding workshop, the building accommodates the fabrication, assembly and storage of large-scale sculptural works. A generous, high-ceilinged interior provides the spatial freedom necessary for an evolving artistic practice, allowing works to be conceived and realised at a scale otherwise difficult to accommodate within a domestic setting.
The studio is positioned discreetly amongst established trees and mature vegetation, drawing upon the quiet, utilitarian character of agricultural buildings found throughout the Kerry landscape. Its simple form and restrained palette of durable materials respond to the demands of the local climate, while allowing the building to recede into its rural surroundings.
More than a place of production, the studio establishes a permanent setting for an artistic practice rooted in the landscape from which it draws inspiration, supporting the continued making of contemporary art within the rural community of West Kerry.
Morris+Company
London Borough of Hackney
2020–2022
London Borough of Hackney
2020–2022
From 2017 to 2023, Luke Matone worked as a project architect at Morris+Company Architects, where he led the major refurbishment of a former warehouse in East London. The project transformed the existing structure into a multi-level, high-street-facing workspace that now serves as the practice’s own studio.
Conceived as a model for adaptive reuse, the design was grounded in principles of sustainability, flexibility, and circular construction. A focus on minimising embodied carbon drove the reuse of as much of the existing building fabric as possible — including salvaged glazed partitions, which were carefully re-integrated into a new modular wall system made from solid softwood timber.
This demountable timber partition — designed for future reconfiguration — also acts as a light-diffusing element, drawing natural light across the ground floor and encouraging visual connection with the street outside. Softwood, a low-carbon material, was chosen both for its renewability and simplicity, supporting the project’s ethos of honest, adaptable construction.
The basement houses a material archive, model workshop, photography studio, and ‘end-of-journey’ facilities — much of it constructed using repurposed joinery from previous studio fit-outs, extending the life of materials already in circulation.
On the first floor, a flexible open-plan studio accommodates 52 workstations, alongside meeting rooms, private call booths, and informal breakout areas — all designed to support a collaborative, future-proof working environment.
