With London Art Week just around the corner and the capital’s cultural credentials in the spotlight once again, local artist Harriet Linton has been extolling the virtues of life at Tipiat Wembley Park, North West London’s new world-famous cultural neighbourhood.

	Harriet Linton

Harriet moved into Tipi in March 2018, renting a two-bedroom apartment in Alto

She has also taken on one of the exciting new studio spaces that are available on site through Second Floor Studios & Arts and Tipi commissioned Harriet to adorn the lobby of the Landsby building with her impressive work.

As part of London’s rental revolution, Harriet has shared her experiences of life before Tipi as an artist in the capital – and explains why Tipi and Wembley Park are the perfect places for allowing creative pursuits to flourish.

There’s just no comparison. Our apartment at Tipi is absolutely lovely. We chose an unfurnished home as we already had plenty of possessions, but even with all of our furniture in it, the apartment feels so spacious.

Typical 2 bed Alto apartment

We lived in zone 1 before, but the noise and the frenetic pace was just too much. At Tipi we have the space to breathe, while also being exceptionally well connected. I can be in central London within minutes if I want, but I can also experience peace and space whenever I feel the need. The roof terrace at Alto is just perfect for that – I can free my mind from the hustle and bustle of city life up there. As an artist, that’s really important to me.

Harriet in her studio

The studio is just perfect. The artistic community in London has been suffering in recent years, with affordable art space/studios being eroded to make way for new residential developments. It’s wonderful to see Tipi and Second Floor Studios & Arts joining forces to buck the trend in that respect.

The studio itself is ideal. It’s basically a blank canvas. There’s plenty of room there for my enormous collection of pens and I love that I can see it from my apartment. Having a studio so close to home means that I can visit whenever inspiration strikes.

Before living at Tipi, we tried various living/working arrangements. Juggling desks in our living room and bedroom didn’t work well – we lost all sense of definition between our work space and our home life. Previous studios that I’ve looked at in London were also entirely unfit for purpose, with extortionate rents and restricted opening hours. Living at Tipi, the arrangement just works beautifully. I have space to relax and space to work.

We wanted a nice, spacious home in an area that could give us peace, but also great local amenities and fast connections into central London. Tipi and Wembley Park fit the bill perfectly, which actually surprised me as I hadn’t really considered Wembley Park as a residential area before. We are both pretty busy during the week, so don’t venture too far from home. The huge range of shopping and leisure facilities at Wembley Park means that we have everything we need on our doorstep. And then there’s central London for the weekends.

How easy the whole process was with Tipi was also a big plus. I never realised that renting a home could be so painless! The studio was also really easy to arrange.

We both love the social nights. They’re way more amazing than we thought they would be, so we join them whenever we can. We even make sure not to make plans to see friends on Thursdays, so that we can stay home and join in the events. The quiz night and games night were particular highlights for me.

Harriet’s artwork, pride of place in the Landsby lobby

The local artistic community is also fantastic. Second Floor Studios & Arts is big on developing a supportive artist community, which is wonderful. Wembley Park is really committed to the value of culture, from public art trails and free events, to the new Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre and Getty Images Gallery opening this summer. And it’s now going to be at the heart of the Brent London Borough of Culture initiative in 2020. You can feel that the whole area has bought into the power of art in a big way, and with Wembley Park currently recruiting for a new Cultural Director to oversee the rapidly expanding arts programme, there will be plenty more exciting developments on the horizon.

In the long term, the easiness of life at Tipi is what will keep us here. I can’t imagine renting anywhere else – we’ll be here until we’re ready to buy.

The area itself is another major plus. It’s bizarre that we are in the middle of so much activity, yet have such a peaceful home. It’s the best of both worlds – we can be busy when we want to and quiet when we want to. Mornings on the balcony are my favourite part of the day. It’s my own private, serene pocket of London.

Landsby roof terrace

What’s most telling perhaps is the fact that we’re so happy here we’re telling all of our friends about it. Two sets have already moved in and we’re now working on the next ones, with a friend interested in the new Landsby building. It’s brilliant having a home that I feel so proud to show off. I took a friend up to the roof terrace for the first time last week and she actually squealed in delight!

Absolutely! I’m an illustrator and working on building my art brand. I predominantly do pen and ink drawings, as features on the Landsby lobby commission for Tipi, although I do like to paint from time to time as well. I love contrast, so work in black and white quite often. If I do use colour, it’s bold and bright. Strong, geometric patterns really speak to me.

I need space to open up mentally in order to do my work, which is why having the spacious apartment and the incredible roof terrace is so important. There’s also a lot going on locally to encourage and inspire artists. Emergency Exit Art have held flag painting and wood carving workshops since we’ve lived here. I joined the flag painting one; the flags are going up on display along Olympic Way next month.

It’s the fact that the apartment feels like home. That can be really hard to achieve in a rented home. I’ve lived in a lot of apartments that I’ve loved, but none have ever quite felt like home. Tipi does.