Throughout London, vibrant communities of artists and makers keep the creative, beating heart of the city alive - but being a ‘creative’ in London can be really hard. 

Although London’s buzzing art scene continues to attract thousands of young creatives from all over the world, steeply rising rental costs and gentrification across the city are making it harder for artists to thrive. London’s creatives need affordable spaces to live and work that have been designed with them in mind.

One solution is property guardianship. For young Londoners who live and breathe the city, guardianship is an affordable way to live in creative boroughs with communities of like-minded people. Plus, many guardianship opportunities are within large open properties (often in commercial buildings) perfect for artists, makers, writers and more who need a studio, workshop or creative space.

Our newest property at Blue Door is the William Brinson Community Centre in the heart of East London (one of London’s biggest creative hubs). Previously occupied for a remarkable 43 years by The Blue Skies Project, a charity that provides support for adults with complex needs - the space was designed with creativity and community in mind.

This huge, bright property with large windows and social areas for meeting and interacting with like-minded creatives, is ideal for artists and makers who need to combine their living space with a studio or workshop. There are multiple rooms of varying sizes for different needs. The centre is well-connected to transport links (Bow Road Tube Station is only a 5-minute walk away) and minutes away from Roman Road Market and Victoria Park. While the property awaits redevelopment, it is being opened up to London property guardians who are looking for creative live/workspaces in the centre of the city. For 30-40% lower than market rent prices, the guardians play an important role in keeping the building safe & well looked after. At the very start of its journey into Property Guardianship, the William Brinson Community Centre is a blank slate waiting to be filled with stories and a community of artists and talent.

We are currently accepting applications for guardians at this space, so please get in touch if you would like to know more. We can’t wait to see a community of creatives blossom here.

With London’s creators and makers at the forefront of our mind, this week we’ve put together a guide to help young artists find affordable spaces to live and work in the city.

A Creatives Guide to Finding Affordable Live/Workspaces in London

Step 1 – Choose Your Borough

Certain parts of London have become a Mecca for artists and makers looking to find a creative home nestled in the centre of the city. However, London is a massive place, home to a lot of variety. Different boroughs have very different atmospheres, communities, (and rental prices) – so it’s essential to find somewhere you feel at home.

In 2018, Fat Llama compiled data of over 20,000 items listed on their site. With the results, they put together a heat map of where the largest creative communities reside in London. It showed that most creative communities are north of the river, clustered in East London.

Places to Consider:

• Dalston, E8

• Tower Hamlets, E3 (Where the William Brinson Community Centre is)

• Bethnal Green & Shoreditch, E2

• Poplar & Blackwall, E14 (Home to Robin Hood Gardens - another creative space we are accepting guardianship applications for. A good option for architecture & design buffs who might have already heard about the history of Robin Hood Gardens.)

Note - another important factor when choosing your location is the local transport links. You don’t want to end up resenting the city because it takes you half an hour, and your week’s travel budget, to get anywhere.

Step 2 – Find a Space You Can Live and Work In

For most creatives in London, the biggest struggle with accommodation is finding somewhere that gives you the right space for your creative projects.

A tiny studio with no natural light and very little space doesn’t lend itself to painters, photographers and makers. Think about what you need for your creative projects and find that in your living space – removing the need to pay extra money on a separate workspace.

Things to Consider:

• Large, open space

• Natural light and big windows

• Storage options for supplies

• Community areas

• Rooms big enough to work & live in.

Step 3 – Look for Cheaper Alternatives

According to the Economist’s latest worldwide cost of living report, London is the world’s 20th most expensive city to live in. Unsurprisingly, London also takes the spot of the most expensive city within the UK. So, it’s important to look for a living space where you can save some money.

With Blue Door, property guardianship costs 30-40% less than average rental costs. Plus, if you find a space big enough to accommodate your projects, you can save money on renting a studio space. Choosing the right location (e.g. in the centre of a creative area) can also save you a huge amount of money on travel costs to galleries, exhibitions and events. Leaving you with more spare cash to put into your art, business and savings.

Things to Consider:

• Alternative living for cheaper rent options (such as property guardianship)

• Large enough to double as a studio space

• Centrally located, with good Public Transport Links

So, in summary, the Blue Door formula for creative living in the centre of the city is… 

Creative Location + Appropriate Studio Space – High Rent Costs

Many of the properties we manage fit this quota, you can have a look at our guardianship options here. However, if you are a creative in London, we highly recommend getting in touch soon about our vacancies at The William Brinson Community Centre. (We imagine that spots at this new creative space will go quickly.) We’re so excited about this new property, as it really does tick every box e.g. creative location, large living spaces perfect for makers and low rental costs. 

Blue Door Property Guardians was established to provide a community-based security solution that benefits creatives. We welcome those who are involved in innovative creative community arts projects, and we want to use our place in the property sector to support young artists and crafters to thrive in London. 

So, if you are a creative living (or hoping) to live in London, and you’d like to hear more about becoming a guardian then please get in touch for more information – we can’t wait to hear from you.