For the first time in history, flexible working is being widely adopted with technology at a level that can allow this to happen — but the way we live has yet to catch up.

We spoke to Mason & Fifth, about their take on flexible living as they gear up to opening their second site, Mason & Fifth, Primrose Hill.

“Personally, I want to live my life in a way where I have the freedom to move at will. To work ‘nomadically’ but also live that way too. Returning to a safe haven in the city as and when I need to, reconnecting with the team, friends, and family, but getting out into nature often. I don’t think I am alone in trying to figure out how to ‘do life’ this way.” said Co-Founder, Ben Prevezer.

In February 2024, the flexible living brand will take their innovative, modern lifestyle concept to Primrose Hill – the brand’s second London site following the success of their first site in Bermondsey – ‘The Italian Building’, which opened in 2020.

Unlike many other operators in the flexible living space who are typically “real estate-led in their approach,” according to Ben, Mason & Fifth is a small, passionate, and hands-on team fully dedicated to creating the best living environments for residents and guests. “We’ve taken the last three years to refine the concept in our first building in Bermondsey, seeing what works and what doesn’t to ensure that we are able to constantly improve our product, service and offering.”

Put simply, Mason & Fifth offers beautifully designed studios for people to live or stay for as long as they need, without being tied into lengthy contracts. The Primrose Hill space expands the community-focused brand into a new neighbourhood, with the ability to stay short-term or long-term, making it the perfect spot to try out London for size or to explore as a forever home. Mason & Fifth brings like-minded individuals together under one roof to discover the city as a community.

“Primrose Hill is a perfect location for what we offer. Close enough to central London whilst offering a unique, leafy, neighbourhood with two of London’s best green spaces quite literally on your doorstep. A one-minute walk to Regents Park in one direction, three minutes to Primrose Hill in the other.”

“We’re best set up for people who are open-minded to living life a little differently, who are independent but appreciate the value of genuinely being part of a community and living in a less solitary way. Those who live with us are generally not primarily there for “community” but there is a sense of open-mindedness and similar types of people seem to be drawn to what we are currently doing and the vision for where we are going. We’re less suited to people who want to stay in their studio and not get the most out of our spaces and community. Whether you’re a Londoner who needs a stop-gap solution or someone who is new to the city, we are a welcoming space where you can feel confident that you’ll find your people who are also not after the standard path of long-term rentals or trying to get on the ladder, now or in the future.”

Prospective residents can pick between a variety of private studios – each of which comes with a kitchen and en-suite. In addition, residents have access to incredible communal spaces that boast a large living and dining area, communal kitchen, co-working spaces, and a yoga pavilion facilitating the perfect balance between privacy and community.

“We started with a genuine desire to create beautiful spaces that could be a sanctuary in the city, but where we were more than a ‘landlord’, creating a relationship between us and each resident and helping to facilitate a community bond inside. As time has gone on and with the opportunity for us to grow and open more buildings in and out of the city, the vision for where we are going is becoming clearer, and flexibility of movement is at the core.”

Mason & Fifth, Primrose Hill is housed in a restored heritage building, meticulously renovated by award-winning architects Red Deer. The building is largely upcycled and designed with a low-carbon ethos.

“We pay attention to the small details. Each building is designed to enhance the well-being of those living and staying with us. From considerations around physical space centred around sustainability, local and ethical design, material choices and sourcing through to the daily operational considerations such as green energy, waste management and non-toxic cleaning products. We’ve partnered with local makers and creators to give each space a unique and homely character, and whilst other people may talk about building community, we believe we have created a truly genuine sense of community with many of our ex-residents staying in close touch.”

The breadth of the Mason & Fifth resident offering is also unique. With out of home experiences like a summer holiday to Ibiza last year, annual cold-water swim, walks in the countryside, supper clubs, and their Local Hero initiative which sees Mason & Fifth partner with neighbourhood businesses.

“We try to bring some colour to the community with a regular calendar of curated experiences such as supper clubs (always the biggest hit) where we invite different chefs to come in and create a meal for our residents. Breathwork classes, Reiki, and Pilates are popular, as well as aromatherapy workshops and Iife drawing – the offering is varied. We are only just getting started with winter ski trips and some more wild excursions on the horizon.”

“Primrose Hill is a village within a village, it has its own unique and special character and is full of creative, independent businesses – a few of which we are collaborating with as part of our ‘Local Heroes’ initiative. We’ve cherry-picked a few of our favourite local businesses to be included in our area guide so that we can drive our residents and guests their way, often with special perks and discounts. So, for example Primrose Hill Bakery’s cupcakes will be part of our welcome gift pack to new residents, and we’d like to do supper clubs and workshops with Primrose Hill food market vendors. We’re talking with Primrose Hill Books about a book club, and we have visions for performances and lessons from Primrose Hill Choir. We give each Local Hero their own personal discount code for stays for their friends and family in return and are working on bespoke partnerships depending on the nature of their business.”

How does Ben see the future of flexible living evolving?

“The cost of living in cities is only going one way, and we currently have a whole generation of young people who cannot get their foot on the property ladder and are looking for new ways to do things. What we don’t want is a world where our cities start to lose their souls, pushing everyone out and losing the creative, diverse communities that drew us here in the first place. We want to continue to build and grow Mason & Fifth buildings in great locations inside and outside the city and ultimately build a network of people who become “members”, if you like, who can dip in and out of each building for periods that work for them. Perhaps that is spending weekends in the countryside and coming into town for work. Maybe it’s spending the summer abroad and the winter at home, or maybe it’s rotating locations to keep things fresh and interesting. Whatever the life you want to create, we want to provide a base for you in a place you love, when you need it, for the time you need it.”

“We are on the cusp of announcing new projects in East and North-West London and have plans to grow beyond London in the next few years to give our residents as much choice as possible whilst ensuring every building is unique in its own right.”

Mason & Fifth is open to everyone — and furry friends are even welcome on the approval of the House Manager.

Mason & Fifth, Primrose Hill opens in February 2024, bookings are now open. Find out more here.

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