Why I Started Eight_OneTwo
People often ask me why I started Eight_OneTwo.
The honest answer is that I wanted to build the kind of practice I’d always wanted to work in.
Before founding the studio in 2017, I’d spent years working within larger architectural practices. Those experiences shaped me as a designer and taught me a huge amount about the profession. I worked on great projects, alongside talented people, and gained an appreciation for what it takes to deliver complex schemes successfully.
But over time, I found myself drawn to a different way of working.
I wanted to create a practice where clients had direct access to experienced professionals. Where design conversations happened around a table rather than through layers of management. Where decisions could be made quickly, collaboration felt natural, and every project received the attention it deserved.
Most importantly, I wanted to create a studio where ambitious design remained at the heart of everything we do.
Eight_OneTwo started as a Huddersfield-based architectural practice, but over the years it has evolved into something much more collaborative.
When Sarah joined the business, it added another dimension to the practice. We’ve always cared deeply about how buildings look, perform and sit within their surroundings, but bringing interior design into the conversation from the outset has strengthened the way we think about the finer details of how people experience a space once they’re inside it.
Sarah’s background spans residential, hospitality and commercial projects, and her perspective has helped us think more holistically about the environments we create — not just how they look from the outside, but how they feel, function and support the people using them every day.
More recently, Rebecca joined us as our planning consultant, bringing a strategic perspective that strengthens our ability to guide projects through what can often be one of the most challenging stages of the process.
Together, we bring architecture, interiors and planning under one roof.
That combination is incredibly important to us because we believe the best projects happen when those disciplines work together from the very beginning. Too often, architecture, interiors and planning are treated as separate conversations. We see them as part of the same story.
A successful project isn’t simply about creating a striking building. It’s about understanding how people will use it, how it will sit within its surroundings, how it supports the client’s ambitions and, of course, how it can successfully navigate the planning process.
That’s why one of the things we say most often is:
“We don’t just design projects. We understand how to get them approved.”
It might not be the most glamorous part of the process, but it’s one of the most important. A brilliant idea only becomes reality when creativity and strategy work together.
Although we’re based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, we’ve never seen ourselves as a practice defined by geography. We’re proud of where we’re from, but our ambitions extend far beyond our local area. We enjoy working with clients throughout the UK and are always excited by opportunities to contribute to projects wherever they may be.
What excites us most are projects with ambition.
That could be bespoke residential architecture, from a contemporary family home to the transformation or extension of an existing property. It could be a hospitality concept, a restaurant, bar or boutique hotel. It could be a workplace designed to attract and inspire people. It could be a commercial development with the potential to transform an area.
The project type matters less than the opportunity to create something meaningful.
We’re interested in places that leave a lasting impression. Places that people remember. Places that have been carefully considered from every angle.
As a team, we all come from larger practices, and we’re grateful for the experience and knowledge those environments gave us. But we’ve combined that experience with something different: a more agile, personal and collaborative approach.
When clients work with Eight_OneTwo, they’re not handed from department to department. They’re working directly with the people responsible for shaping the project.
That closeness creates better conversations, stronger relationships and, ultimately, better outcomes.
We’re still a growing practice and we’re proud of that. Growth isn’t something we’re chasing for its own sake. We’d rather build a reputation for thoughtful design, strong relationships and exceptional projects than simply become bigger.
Our ambition is straightforward. To create a nationally recognised design studio that brings together architecture, interiors and planning to deliver ambitious bespoke residential, hospitality, workplace and commercial architecture throughout the UK.
It’s an ambition that continues to shape every decision we make as a practice. The projects we take on. The people we work with. The way we approach design. The standards we set for ourselves.
We’re interested in creating places with purpose, character and longevity. Places that respond to the people who use them and leave a lasting impression long after the project is complete.
Every project presents a new challenge, a new opportunity and a chance to do something better than we did before.
And that’s what continues to drive us.
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Jonathan
Founder, Eight_OneTwo