- Work Hard
- 14th Oct 2026
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Northumbria University grads bring award-winning national interior design studio to North Shields
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There’s a new name in interior design in North Shields, and there’s a good chance you’ve already eaten somewhere it dreamed up.
Studio Two, the award-winning hospitality design practice behind Six By Nico restaurants across the UK, has opened its second studio at Harbour House.
For founders Lauren Milner and Zoe Wheatley, who met studying at Northumbria University, it’s less a new venture and more a homecoming.
The talented pair have spent six years building a national reputation from their headquarters in Harrogate. Now they’re putting down roots on the North East coast, and they’ve got big plans for Northumberland.
FROM STUDENT FRIENDS TO STUDIO FOUNDERS
Lauren and Zoe have known each other since they were 18, when they both started on Northumbria University’s interior design course. After graduating, they took separate paths at different practices before ending up working together again. That’s when they noticed something was missing.
“We ended up working together, but our day-to-day was all job running, managing teams and projects. We were losing the creative side we were both so passionate about and knew we were good at.”
Lauren Milner, Co-Founder of Studio Two.
So, in 2020, they set up on their own and built a business around the bit they loved most. “We’ve never really looked back since”, Lauren adds.
The North East connection runs deeper than university, too.
Lauren grew up along the coast in Whitley Bay, and the pair still keep a close eye on the talent coming through Northumbria’s course, which regularly ranks in the UK’s top 10 in the Guardian University Guide. Not a bad place to start.
WHY HARBOUR HOUSE FELT LIKE HOME
You’ll find the new studio at Harbour House, Little Bedford Street, North Shields. Once the town’s indoor market, the building’s been restored into a three-storey creative hub by founder Skye-Alexander Ferry and Director of Experience and Events Amy-Bosé Wilson, and it’s now home to independent design, hospitality and wellness businesses.
It’s exactly the vibe Studio Two couldn’t find back in Yorkshire. “It was such a creative hub, it’s quite different from other serviced offices”, says Zoe. “When we were looking in Harrogate, our original office, we’d looked at serviced offices, but they all still felt quite corporate.”
Here, Lauren shares the building with a florist, Muscari, a coffee shop, Northern Rye and a yoga studio, WE RISE, and for now she’s flying the Studio Two flag in North Shields solo.
“Having a smaller office and me being here predominantly on my own at the moment, it’s nice to have other creatives around, which is something that we hadn’t found before,” says Lauren.
THE STUDIO BEHIND SOME OF THE UK’S BUZZIEST DINING ROOMS
If you’ve booked a table at Six By Nico in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff or Oxford, you’ve sat in a Studio Two interior. Their portfolio also takes in The Cut & Craft in Leeds and Manchester, LOMA at Cameron House on the banks of Loch Lomond, the Azotea rooftop above Hyatt Place in Leeds, and hotels including Wentbridge House Hotel and The Cedar Court Hotel in Harrogate.
Awards followed quickly, with a Northern Design Award in the early days and international recognition within a couple of years. They’ve been so busy that their sixth birthday almost slipped by unnoticed.
“I think we were genuinely so busy we missed it, says Zoe. “A second studio was always on our vision board,” she adds.
A big part of the move is being closer to a growing roster of Scottish clients, including newly signed RAD Hotel Group, one of Scotland’s fastest-growing independent hotel groups. Repeat business is a recurring theme for the pair.
“We’ve delivered now on one project for them, and since we’ve been given another five or six projects. It’s nice to know that we’re building that strong relationship,” says Lauren of one Scottish client.
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT LOOKING PRETTY
Ask what sets Studio Two apart and the answer isn’t paint colours or trends. It’s how a space actually earns its keep.
“Especially with price points, everyone wants that wider experience, and obviously the interior contributes to that,” Zoe explains.
“It’s more than just what’s the latest trend, what’s going to look good in this space. It’s how the space operates. What’s going to give it longevity?”
Lauren says clients often arrive wanting a certain look, but discover there’s far more on the table. “Once we delve deeper into it, it’s also about the functionality of how the space works, from how a room flows for staff to spotting missed opportunities for extra revenue.”
Every project starts with its own concept, too. “Everything that we design is always unique to the purpose and the client,” says Lauren. No copy-and-paste schemes here.
NORTHUMBERLAND’S NEXT ON THE MOODBOARD
Closer to home, the pair have their eye on Northumberland’s country house hotels, boutique stays and wedding venues. With the county’s visitor economy hitting a record £1.58 billion in 2025, it’s easy to see why.
“We’d love to do more in the North East, specifically Northumberland, we’d love to get our hands on some of the gorgeous wedding venues they have up there.”
Says Lauren.
They’ve already proved they can handle heritage. Studio Two recently worked on the interiors of Forcett Hall, a luxury wedding venue in a Grade I listed Georgian country house near Richmond, North Yorkshire. Nearer to North Shields, they’re working on a project on Market Street in Newcastle city centre and chatting to business owners in Tynemouth and Newcastle.
They’re keen to keep things local behind the scenes as well. Newcastle-based Plantart has been part of the team for a long time, and they’re already lining up floral installations with their Harbour House neighbours.
WANT TO WORK WITH THEM? THEY’RE HIRING
After a recent restructure, Studio Two is building a bigger, more experienced team so it can take on larger hotel and leisure projects, including work further afield. That means new roles in the North East.
They’re actively looking for interior designers to join them in North Shields. If that’s you, drop them an email [email protected] or get in touch through their website, as applications land straight with the founders.
From two students in a Newcastle studio to a second base on the Tyne, it’s been some journey. And by the sound of it, they’re only just getting started.
Studio Two, Harbour House, 112 Little Bedford Street, North Shields NE29 6NW
Rachael Ellis
Head of Content
After gaining a first in her BA Media and Journalism degree at Northumbria University, Rachael worked at Newcastle’s leading regional newspaper with her stories being picked up in national and global newspapers. She spent two very successful years giving a voice to those communities across the North East who otherwise…
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