First London showroom for stylish UK manufacturer
Social Spaces specialises in creating stylish, British-made contract furniture that seamlessly fuses design with functionality.
At the heart of every project lies a balance of creativity and practicality, delivering furniture that embodies exceptional quality, comfort, and effortless usability.
Project Background
Conversations with Dams Furniture, parent company of Social Spaces started several years before they commissioned us to find them a new showroom.
Initial discussions to consider both the detailed pros and cons and to outline the costs involved in opening a London showroom gave Dams confidence that Warwick Bookman & Associates could support their needs in this area.
Once they were ready to move forward, they came back to us with focus and intent.
Social Spaces Brief
As part of the very successful Dams group, wishing to grow the Social Spaces brand by launching their first Clerkenwell showroom, we were briefed to find a sizeable statement space, with the priority being to find excellent premises for long term growth, rather than to meet any particular timeline.
This isn’t necessarily an easy brief to meet and we undertook our usual research and arranged viewings. During this process we became aware of the refurbishment of 14 St, John’s Lane, which featured an extensive ground and lower ground showroom space totalling 4,219 sq ft in an excellent location, close to one of our other clients Gresham and right in the heart of the furniture area of Clerkenwell.
14, St John’s Lane
This well-located, established building was at the time the subject of major refurbishment. With designs by Squire and Partners and work being undertaken by Curo, with the aim of achieving BREAM A status, we were confident that it would provide the gravitas that Social Spaces were looking for.
As well as being in a great location, the space has a return frontage and excellent ceiling height throughout.
Negotiations were, unfortunately, quite protracted, requiring attention to detail, focus, determination, complex calculations, pragmatism and more. Throughout the process, our client showed judgement and integrity. We stayed in close contact throughout and the responsiveness of both our teams helped to keep the deal on track.
Assuring the quality of the space
Given the substantial nature of the building’s refurbishment, we recommended building surveyors and M&E surveyors to assess the quality of the work undertaken and to ensure that any snagging issues were identified and remediated. We co-ordinated these surveys on behalf of our client.
Client feedback on the project
Owner and Managing Director of the parent brand, Dams, Chris Scott said “Both Elisabeth and Rob from Warwick Bookman & Associates were excellent. Their deep knowledge of the London market gave us a real head start. We viewed a wide range of properties, and once we found the right space, they supported us every step of the way delivering not only a fantastic showroom but also invaluable guidance through complex legal and negotiation stages.”
Opening the new Social Spaces showroom
The deal was completed the day before Christmas Eve and the new showroom was fitted out and furnished before being opening in early April 2026, in good time for Clerkenwell Design Week.
Deal completed: December 2025
Elisabeth & Rob were both excellent. Their deep knowledge of the London market gave us a head start and they supported us every step of the way to delivering a fantastic showroom.
Chris Scott, Managing DirectorDams Furniture