Hendel & Hendel opens London Experience Studio in former art gallery

British cabinet-hardware maker Hendel & Hendel has opened The Experience Studio, Shoreditch in London – a new home for tactile discovery, project collaboration and specification support that rethinks what a showroom can be. Set within a former art gallery, the Studio retains the character of the original building while introducing a calm, purposeful layout where collections can be handled, tested and specified at project scale. It is designed as a working space for interior designers and retailers, with room to develop schemes and make decisions with confidence.

Terence Haughton, MD at Hendel & Hendel, said: “We have been blown away by the support and overwhelmingly positive reaction to the opening of our Experience Studio. We wanted to create something beyond the ordinary; a place to share our collections in the most tangible way possible, to meet the design and retail community, and to help fuel the creative process. Shoreditch felt like the right place to do that.”

A central feature of the Studio is its Materials Lab, created in collaboration with respected brands including Little Greene, Ca’ Pietra, de Le Cuona and Brockway Carpets. Here, visitors can pair Hendel & Hendel’s finishes with paints, tiles, textiles and floor coverings, so hardware becomes an early decision rather than an afterthought. The aim is straightforward: to change the way hardware is specified, moving it to the start of the journey where it can guide palette, texture and tone across the space.

“This is a working studio rather than a showroom,” said Alicia Le Bellego, studio manager. “Designers and retailers can book time, bring drawings, lay out samples and build a clear materials story. We are on hand to advise on proportions, hole centres, fixings and finishes – the practical details that shape how a kitchen or dressing room feels to use every day.”

Over the coming months, Hendel & Hendel will host talks, panels and hands-on sessions at the Studio, designed to strengthen partnerships and share knowledge across the trade. Programming will include specification workshops, finish and patina clinics, and project round-tables with guest speakers from the brand’s wider design network.

The launch of The Experience Studio, London marks the next step for a family business founded in 1971 and now led by the third generation. Hendel & Hendel design and manufacture distinctive cabinet hardware in Britain, bringing together decades of know-how in design, materials and engineering. The Studio bridges the stillness of the company’s Lincolnshire roots with the energy of London, creating a place where ideas move quickly but craft remains central. The Experience Studio, London is now open by appointment.