Run for the Hills reconnects disconnected Londoners at Kindred

Photography: Valentino Blas

Located in a historic listed building in Hammersmith, design studio Run For the Hills (RFTH) brought home comforts into Kindred, a coworking space for those who want to “work near home” while still connecting with the outside world.  

Initially designed by Studioshaw, the club relaunched post-lockdown, and Kindred‘s founder approached RFTH to oversee refurbishment and add extra layers of detail. “We focused our decorative scheme concepts on adding yet more heart and soul to the soft furnishings, creating distinct new areas across the first and second floors, zoning them with a stylish collection of new custom-designed banquette sofas and tactile rugs, segmenting Kindred’s wonderful open plan spaces into defined areas for eating, drinking, laptop-ing and dining,” says co-founder of the design studio, Anna Burles. 

RFTH achieved the relaxed style by using a colourful mix of upholstered seating, armchairs, pouffes and soft furnishings and layering them up with accessories and a range of botanicals. Walls were also darkened around the performance stage ready for the next ‘Kindred Live’ event. “We hope we’ve created lots of favourite new spots and comfortable corners for Kindred’s member community to connect, work, rest and play,” adds Burles.  

Acknowledging division to be an issue for those living in the capital, Kindred is a coworking space with purpose. “Loneliness and disconnectedness was a huge problem even before lockdown and for many Londoners, one of the ways to reconnect is through work, and the friendships they form throughout their careers,” says Anna Anderson, Kindred’s co-founder.

Featuring a yoga studio, café and bar, the coworking space also offers a curated list of events – promoting opportunities for networking and socialising. “We know that the members club scene can feel very exclusive; we are here to bring people together, not keep them out, and myself, and my team, take a proactive approach in really living the values of community,” Anderson continues.

Anderson believes that success lies in the way people are treated, and the feeling that members carry when they leave: “The one word people use when they describe Kindred is ‘genuine’, and if there was ever a time for a business owner to behave in a responsible and genuine way, it’s now. 

“With many people either working from home, running a small business and craving networking opportunities – or simply missing socialising and wanting to feel reassured that the space they visit has their best interests at heart – Kindred is here to provide a genuine and welcoming space and reignite a sense of community.”