Week in the life at Elmwood: Gee Street

Home to some of London’s top markets, creative capital and resident Cool People, the latest edition in our Week in the Life series heads to East London to visit design geniuses, Elmwood London. They’ll be giving us their tips and tricks for the best spots for food, drinks and inspiration in the East End from Gee Street and beyond.

Monday

Nothing says ‘start your week off right’ like a cup of artisanal coffee. It truly is times like these when we’re most grateful to be located amongst a hub of experts in the caffeinated field. Thanks goodness for all of East London’s hipsters and coffee snobs! Probably one of the nicest morning beverages you can get in the area comes from Look Mum, No Hands which lies just a few minutes from the Elmwood London studio. It’s also a bike workshop and a wine bar too, do with that info what you will… 

Tuesday

Not to brag but when we talk about a perfect office location, Gee Street definitely takes the cake. We’re lucky enough to be within a five minute walk from The Barbican Centre, home to an abundance of inspiring events and exhibitions to check out. It’s also a great spot to watch a post-work film from their cinema, and the Barbican Conservatory is an absolute must. It’s not a bad lunch-time stroll worth taking, us creatives have to stay inspired after all.

Wednesday

If you fancy a mid-week change of scenery, I have already mentioned that loads of the best cafés in London are dotted around walking vicinity of our front door. Ozone Coffee Roasters is the perfect place for an afternoon brew and flow time, sometimes you need that focus spot outside your desk to get those creative juices going. Ozone has amazing food if you fancy a treat for lunch too! Their eggs benedict with bubble and squeak cakes finished off with their toasted banana bread has been a winning combo for the Elmwood squad since we first tried it!

Thursday

Something that the team can always look forward to is The Makery. Every six weeks the Elmwood London studio hosts a new Makery event where a member of the team teaches us a new skill, something about their culture, or shares a hobby of theirs that the rest of us can try. Tonight was a Spanish food and culture evening, complete with homemade Spanish omlette, padron peppers, cured meats, red wines and the cheese board of dreams. Since the start of the Thursday series we’ve had rugmaking, coffee tasting and a cocktail making class! Next up we’re making Indian snacks, so it’s fair to say we’re never short of learning something new on Gee Street, and aren’t we proud of it!

Friday

Our watering hole of choice on a Friday is The Slaughtered Lamb. It’s an iconic pub for the London studio, where many famous (and infamous) birthdays, leaving drinks and post-5pm pints have seen a storm. It’s also recently undergone a refurbishment, so it’s well worth a visit for that alone, if not the great vibes it’s inevitably bursting with. Oh, did we mention it’s a live music venue too?

Saturday

Making the most of East London isn’t just for Mondays to Fridays after all. On Saturday the walk from the studio via Old Street leads you to one of the best hidden rooftop bars in Shoreditch called Boundary. They’ve got a ridiculous selection of food and drink that you can order from while enjoying a spectacular view. It’s got heaters and everything, so doesn’t even have to be limited to those rare sunny days.

Sunday 

If you’re feeling adventurous (and not too hungover) on a Sunday, there are plenty of markets and vintage shops around Shoreditch, and trust us when we say you won’t be short of places to shop. And if all that shopping’s worn you out and you could still do with another little treat (you’ve gotten through the whole week by now, after all), we’d go for dinner at Fare. You just can’t go wrong with a combo of pizza, pasta and cocktails on a Sunday. Simply divine.