Following the initial Concept Design and Stage 3 work by HTA Interiors, we collaborated with Lister+Lister to further develop the interior strategy. While the design evolved into a more detailed and expansive scheme, it remained firmly rooted in the original ‘Cinematic Legacy’ narrative, with HTA ultimately undertaking the Stage 4 delivery.
The Rex provides 212 co-living apartments alongside a broad range of shared facilities designed to support wellbeing, productivity and social connection. Residents have access to a communal kitchen and dining space, co-working lounges, gym and wellness facilities, cinema room, games room, lounges, podcast studio and roof terraces, creating opportunities for interaction while maintaining the privacy of individual homes.
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The apartments at The Rex are designed as a modern, flexible solution for urban living, specifically targeting graduates, young professionals, and key workers who require a bridge between traditional student housing and conventional private rentals. Ranging from 16.8 sqm to 26.3 sqm, with an average footprint of 19.9 sqm, the apartments prioritise efficient, private living integrated with a significant amenity-rich lifestyle.
Each room is engineered for comfort and environmental performance, featuring triple glazed windows to ensure a quiet living environment despite the building's high traffic location opposite Kingston Station. The design narrative of the apartments is subtly tied to the building's broader architectural identity, incorporating arched motifs in details such as door manifestations and bathroom vanity units. To support inclusivity and long term viability, 9.4% of the apartments are wheelchair accessible, and the flexible leasing model accommodates stays ranging from three months to over a year, successfully attracting a diverse resident population spanning from their twenties to their eighties.
The interior identity of The Rex is built upon a multi-layered narrative that transforms the building’s 1939 origins as the Granada Theatre into a modern, tactile, and highly social home. The design story is woven from four distinct threads: Cinematic Legacy, Architectural Archways, Artisanal Craft, and Curated Sociality. Celebrating the site’s past, the interiors embrace a sense of glamour; the lobby functions as a stage set, welcoming residents with full height velvet curtains, rich walnut portals, and mood setting lighting. This theatrical approach continues through the screening room and sky lounge, where atmospheric colour palettes and dramatic lighting define the spaces and elevate the user experience.
The arch acts as the primary design motif, drawing from the building’s exterior barrel vaulted roofline and window forms. This rhythm is applied consistently throughout the interiors, from the grand joinery portals that frame the transitions between co-working and communal kitchens, down to the curves of bathroom vanity units, door manifestations, and corridor graphics. This use of organic geometry provides a necessary balance to the building’s rigid, inherited industrial concrete grid.
Reflecting Kingston’s reputation for the arts, a sophisticated palette of walnut veneer, peach tinted mirrors, and fluted glass brings depth and texture, while natural cork wall coverings and velvet upholstery create a tactile, multi sensory environment. Colour is used as a functional tool to define zones of personality, shifting from the grounded, neutral tones of the entrance to the vibrant greens of the gaming room and the warm, deep accents of the club lounge.
Ultimately, the layout is designed to support the dual requirements of a modern co-living building: the need for social connection and the need for personal retreat. Active communal spaces, such as the kitchen islands, private dining rooms, and podcast studios, are designed to be social and inviting, while refuge zones like the snug and wellness studio offer quieter, restorative spaces.
By blending the building's historical character with modern craft and flexible functionality, The Rex provides a home that feels both inspired by its cinematic past and tailored to the needs of modern residents.
