When Domus Nova came calling to explore the people and places shaping Queen’s Park, we were honoured to be featured alongside some of the neighbourhood’s most inspiring voices. Their piece, My Queen’s Park: The Trailblazers at the Heart of the Neighbourhood’s Soul, captured the unique rhythm of this corner of northwest London – a place where families, creatives and entrepreneurs quietly build something remarkable together.
Sean Ronnie Hill and Imran Jahn, co-founders of RISE Design Studio, rooted in Queen’s Park and shaping sustainable architecture for over a decade.
The article brings together a set of characters who have helped define what makes Queen’s Park special today.
The Lexi Cinema – Once a derelict hall, now a volunteer-run cinema with deep community roots. Co-director Zoë Cooke spoke of the “friendly village” feel where the cinema thrives thanks to the dedication of locals who keep its doors open almost every day of the year.
Don’t Tell Dad – Daniel Land’s all-day bakery and restaurant has become both a ritual and a landmark. His story reminded us how much of Queen’s Park is built on personal memory and shared experience – in his case, a tribute to his sister woven into the name above the door.
Nune – Interior designer Sheena Murphy, who brought her stateside modernism from Brooklyn to London, described the balance Queen’s Park holds: community support alongside authenticity, all within easy reach of the city beyond.
Carmel – Josh Katz, already celebrated for Berber & Q, brought a new fire-driven restaurant to Lonsdale Road. His reflections on the diversity and warmth of the neighbourhood echoed our own experience of Queen’s Park as a place of understated brilliance.
Wolfpack – From “the world’s greatest garage” to a beloved taproom, founders Alistair Hargreaves and Chris Wyles showed how Queen’s Park embraced their vision from day one. Their story is one of transformation, beer taps, and neighbourly connection.
And then, of course, there was RISE Design Studio.
To be interviewed alongside these neighbours felt like a moment of recognition for the studio’s own journey. Fourteen years ago, we set down roots in Queen’s Park, guided by the belief that good design doesn’t need to shout – it can be quietly bold, deeply personal, and lighter on the earth.
Queen’s Park House on Keslake Road by RISE Design Studio – a thoughtfully reimagined London home combining exposed brick, natural timber, and sustainable design details.
The piece captured why this neighbourhood has always been more than just a location for us. It’s where our daughters learned to walk, where our studio found its stride, and where daily life continues to feed into our design thinking. From conversations with local artists to chance encounters at the farmers’ market, Queen’s Park is a constant reminder that architecture, like community, is strongest when it’s collaborative, sustainable, and human.
What makes this Domus Nova feature so compelling is that it shines a light not just on individual success stories but on the collective hum of the area. No one is shouting about what they do – and that’s precisely the point. Queen’s Park’s magic lies in the understatement: the quiet brilliance of its people, the rhythm of the park, the rituals of food, film, and friendship.
We’re proud to be part of this story, and even prouder to continue building in and for a community that has always been at the heart of our work.
If you’d like to read the full article and see all the neighbourhood voices featured, you can find the original Domus Nova piece here: My Queen’s Park: The Trailblazers at the Heart of the Neighbourhood’s Soul
At RISE, Queen’s Park has never been just a postcode. It’s been our studio’s foundation – a neighbourhood that has shaped who we are and how we design. Here, we’ve learned that good architecture is like good community: it grows quietly, sustains deeply, and leaves space for others to flourish.
Thinking of a project in Queen’s Park or beyond?
Let’s talk about how we can shape a space that belongs – to you, to the street, and to the future.
→ Email us at architects@risedesignstudio.co.uk
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