YOUTH is a Manchester based studio with a global reach. Specialising in hospitality, workspace, and retail design the team’s boutique approach allows them to deliver projects such as Kampus that seamlessly blend lifestyle and culture.
Among those projects is Setl, our 102 apartment building that is establishing a new way of living in the highly sought after St Paul’s area of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.
In this article, YOUTH director Ollie Collinge tells us how the building has been designed with residents’ living experience in mind, and how he worked with HBD to ensure the design and amenities exceeded expectations.
At YOUTH, we get under the skin of a project straight away, defining its lifestyle and culture before considering aesthetics and functions. This approach ensures that each space we create is not just visually appealing but also deeply resonates with its intended community.
With a broad range of experience, especially in the hospitality sector, we see designs from this field increasingly permeating our broader portfolio of living and work spaces. Building occupiers across various sectors now seek a hospitality style experience in the spaces they use.
Setl: a case study in blended design
Setl is a great example of how hospitality influences are shaping broader trends – with modern residents seeking more than just a place to live; they want communal workspaces, wellness areas, and a general focus on social spaces and enhanced wellbeing.
But how does this manifest in real designs? For us, it’s about the journey from the front door to the place you sleep. Take our entrance at Setl where we’ve designed a space that brings the outside in, with finishes that connect with the surrounding Jewellery Quarter. The Staffordshire blue brick paving, which is used in the Jewellery Quarter creates an extension of the outside and is the perfect connection to the local neighbourhood.
There’s the wellbeing studio too, offering a versatile wellness space, which can be used for meditation, as well as a full LED wall, and floor to ceiling windows. It’s so much more that communal space, it’s also a sanctuary for residents’ wellbeing.
Even the corridors adopt more of a hotel aesthetic, with simple features like recessed doors and LED lighting creating more of a sense of grandeur. These design elements elevate the residential experience, making everyday movements through the building more pleasant and engaging.
Inside the apartments, we aim for warmth and approachability by including warm neutrals and natural materials onto the mood boards. Light and space are also crucial to wellbeing and that’s why another subtle design feature was the decision to increase ceiling heights in the living area, opening it up. And there are subtle yet impactful details like floor to ceiling windows allowing natural light to fill the rooms and concealed curtain tracks in an aperture above the window, small details but ones which really elevate the feel of the space.
A commitment to sustainability
Sustainability is at the core of our design philosophy. We use eco friendly and honestly procured materials, ensuring our projects meet stringent sustainability criteria and reflect the sustainability calibre of the building itself. As is standard with YOUTH projects, I was keen that all of our design choices avoid fleeting trends, instead favouring timeless elements that reflect the authentic culture and character of the area.
For Setl, this means incorporating local influences like those previously mentioned Staffordshire blue brick paving stones or the beautiful glazing in communal spaces – materials and colours perfectly balanced with the refined timber panelling and ambient lighting.
Back to the future
The success of Setl in attracting residents highlights the importance of lifestyle focused design for the future, something that will continue to dominate as occupier demands become increasingly sophisticated.
It’s great to see an organisation like HBD being on the front foot and really embracing these changes, with agility and openness. They’re happy to have conversations around features that most developers would shy away from. HBD consistently understood the need to invest that little extra to raise the bar and create something that occupiers want and it really shows in the finished product.
By working together to create beautifully designed living spaces we can deliver buildings that resonate deeply with people and were all determined to keep our finger on the pulse of these emerging trends and occupier needs. I’m so proud of Setl but ultimately, the true measure of success will be seeing residents enjoying and thriving in these spaces, fulfilling our initial vision to create for a truly bespoke living space for people.