Mundella: Work at home in style in a unique Art Deco apartment
The Mundella building in our Meadows Green development is an exciting redevelopment of a 1930s Art Deco building. Like many cities in the midlands, Nottingham is mostly recognised for its Edwardian and Victorian homes that were developed to house workers during the industrial revolution. While these houses have become highly sought after for their elegant proportions and period features, our Mundella development at Meadows Green will demonstrate how the Art Deco period is set to become the next most desirable style of property in the city.
Art Deco began in France in the early twentieth century but blossomed in the UK in the 1920s in the economic prosperity post World War I. The style combines a mix of classical features and proportions and modern geometric styling and during its heyday, Art Deco represented luxury, glamour and a new modern designer aesthetic.
The Mundella building is representative of an understated and very British form of Art Deco that became a hallmark of new developments throughout Britain in the 20s and 30s. Cinemas, factories, houses, apartments and schools were all developed in this style and Mundella is very much part of that tradition.
Nottingham has a number of iconic art deco buildings throughout the city, but relatively few in terms of houses and we are not aware of any Art Deco buildings that have been redeveloped into modern homes. We’ve always prided ourselves in recognising the potential in buildings where others have not.
Mundella is an exciting opportunity for the team at Blueprint to bring this unique building back to life. There are a number of Art Deco buildings in Nottingham that you may recognise such as Nottingham's iconic Home Brewery on Mansfield Road in Arnold, the former Raleigh Headquarters on Lenton Boulevard, The former Capitol Cinema in Bobbers Mill and of course the striking Newton Building at the Nottingham Trent University campus city centre campus.
The Newton Building, an example of Art Deco architecture in Nottingham
London has many purpose built art deco apartments and in recent years they have become some of the most fashionable and sought after properties on the market. Nottingham has relatively few art deco buildings and even fewer than can be transformed into new homes.
Mundella is full of interesting features that will be maintained and enhanced as part of the redevelopment which is what makes this a special development, so let’s take a look at the building in detail:
The Cloistered Courtyard
One of the most striking features of Mundella is the internal cloistered courtyard. All apartments on the ground floor have direct access to the courtyard and all the apartments on the second floor look over the courtyard. The courtyard is secluded from the street, making this a very private and charming space. Courtyards are a classic feature of Art Deco apartments but it’s rare to find a building in this style with only two stories. This means the Courtyard will receive plenty of light throughout the day and creates the opportunity for residents to personalise the space with plants.
If you’re retired and regularly nip off to see the grandchildren, or if you're a busy professional travelling for work, Mundella may be the ideal property for you. The Internal cloistered courtyard provides open space without the fuss of a garden.
On the second floor apartments are accessed by an open walkway, which we’ll be enhancing with a pergola where climbing plants can be grown. The structure is elegantly held aloft with a series of square columns, a classic feature of Art Deco properties.
The external fabric of the building is built with an unusual brick that carries an embossed texture and was possibly uniquely commissioned for the building. Other features include the offset brickwork and the curved brick details that elegantly frame the entrance. As part of the building work we’ll be repointing and cleaning the brickwork to make the most of these features.
Unique iron work and period features at the entrance
Decorative leaded glass in the entrance
The iron work that sits above the entrance is in a classic art deco style. It features a decorative semi circle motif that recurs throughout the building and is reflected in the leaded glass work and arched entrance.
The communal entrance floor is an original terrazzo floor, commonly found in mid century italian apartments but relatively rare in British properties. It’s worth noting the inlaid geometric detailing too, a nice touch and we think this will look really special when fully refurbished.
Mundella presents a rare opportunity to live in a fully modernised and spacious Art Deco apartment and enjoy a piece of Nottingham’s architectural heritage.
Spacious apartments for living and working at home
Why these art deco buildings make great modern living spaces
Lifestyles have changed immeasurably since the Mundella building was built in the 1930s. People need to travel for work and leisure now more than ever. And the recent lockdown has demonstrated the need for ample space to work at home too.
The original layout of the building with its tall ceilings on both floors and large open spaces means we’ve been able to design thoroughly modern apartments without compromise whilst maintaining the best of the original features.
The spacious living, dining and kitchen areas are generously proportioned and can accommodate enough space to work from home too. We’re maintaining the exceptionally large windows, an original feature of the property, so the apartments will be bathed in light. We’ll be upgrading the windows to high performance Velfac windows so your home will also be well insulated too.
These spacious apartments, with their high ceilings and light filled rooms will make great homes, to live, work and entertain in a fuss free, easy to manage building.
View from the Kitchen into the open plan living area.