Southward Studios
est. 2003
Southward Studios is an architecture and design practice rooted in restraint, material honesty, and a deep respect for context. Based in London, we work across scales — from furniture to master plans — with a core team of four and a network of collaborators.
Our Approach
We treat design and construction as one continuous discipline, not a handoff between departments. Every project carries the same attention from first site visit through to final drawing set — understanding how a client wants to live before anything is sketched, then holding that thread through concept, planning, and construction.
Interior design isn't an add-on stage. It develops alongside the architecture from the outset, so joinery, finishes, and spatial flow resolve as one coherent scheme instead of a retrofit.
Regulatory and approval work is treated as our responsibility, not the client's. Development applications, building approvals, consultant coordination, council correspondence — we manage all of it directly, so progress doesn't stall on paperwork.
By construction, a design is fully resolved — documentation detailed enough that builders and trades have nothing left to interpret. We stay engaged through that handover, because a design is only as good as its execution on site.
Our Team
Senior Architectural Technologist
Elena Vassallo
Elena bridges the gap between raw, tactile design and uncompromising structural precision. She specializes in the millimeter-perfect detailing of custom structural junctions, thermal envelopes, and complex off-form concrete pours. Her technical leadership ensures the studio's retro-cinematic warmth is built to endure for generations.
Director of Interior Architecture
Isabella Silva
Isabella curates the tactile landscape of Southward's spaces. Specializing in raw stone, off-form concrete, and rich tropical hardwoods, she collaborates directly with local master builders to ensure bespoke interior joinery feels both highly refined and deeply artisanal. Her designs balance quiet permanence with intimate human scale.
Founder
Lucas Vandenberg
Lucas founded Southward Studios after a decade leading high-end hospitality builds in Brussels and Munich. Influenced by both European brutalism and Brazilian tropical modernism, his work explores the tension between monumental raw masonry and fluid, sun-drenched thresholds. He leads the studio's overall architectural vision and site narrative strategies.
Lead Landscape & Contextual Architect
Mateo Fischer
Mateo views architecture and native topography as a singular, unbroken system. He parses each site's environmental potential, designing porous thresholds where lush exterior flora meets heavy masonry. His approach ensures that every structure feels naturally grown from its native topography, aging gracefully alongside its ecosystem.
Our Experience
Get In Touch
- Phone
- +62 361 234 567
- Opening hours
Address
Jalan Raya, Studio CompoundUbud, Bali, IndonesiaWorking across Ubud, Stone Town, and Valletta