Studio → Manea Kella

We are award winning architects based in London. Our projects are international and we operate across residential, hospitality and service industries.

We believe thoughtful architecture and design benefits society and is a force for social change. From the smallest intervention to a large scale development – regardless of scale, architecture has the potential to shape and transform society for the better.

We take an interest in everything in equal measure: from the most improbable to the most obvious, from the smallest to the most imposing, from the most economical to the most luxurious. Art is a source of constant inspiration within our practice and a true driver of our existence. We like to surprise and reinvent each time whilst keeping the same demanding level of quality and attention to detail.

We are guided by one overarching principle: to craft impeccable, elegant and thoughtful spaces and objects.

Manea Kella was founded in 2017 by Elena Kella and Adrian Manea.

Elena Kella
Architect and Director

Elena is a RIBA Chartered Architect, director and co-founder of Manea Kella. She is driven to deliver the highest standards of architecture and interior design. Her ambition is to maintain a similarly rigorous attention to detail regardless of the project scale. Elena previously worked at Patel Taylor where she gathered substantial experience delivering large-scale masterplans with a powerful sense of place. Elena is currently leading Tracon’s Head Office, a high performance workplace that will provide choice and balance between work modes. The project calls for interventions that celebrate the building’s complex history and unlock the hidden potential of its spaces.

Adrian Manea
Architect and Director

Adrian is a RIBA Chartered Architect, director and co-founder of Manea Kella. He offers a personalised approach to architecture that ranges in scale from single residences to the extension of cities. Adrian led Casa Popeea, working closely with the client to transform the listed property into an eleven room boutique hotel, delivering high quality facilities that enhance the experience of guests and members of the public. Prior to establishing Manea Kella together with Elena Kella, Adrian worked on innovative mixed-use development projects at high profile architecture companies in the UK such as Gensler and Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands.

Timothy Bedingfield
Senior Architect

Tim is an architect with extensive experience in a range of residential work, from high quality houses to large scale residential masterplans. He is fascinated by the ways that buildings actively shape and positively contribute to the social fabric of cities. Prior to joining Manea Kella in 2021, he worked at Burgess Architects and Panter Huspith Architects, where he collaboratively delivered Orchard Gardens, a mixed-use housing development in Elephant and Castle that was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize 2022. Tim is currently leading Eden Gardens, an environmentally driven mixed-use masterplan located on the Black Sea coast.

Awards

2023 AJ Retrofit Awards - Shortlisted: House up to £500,000
2023 RIBA Awards - Shortlisted: Regional East Midlands
2022 Dezeen Awards - Longlisted: Emerging Architecture Studio of the Year
2022 British Homes Awards - Shortlisted: Homes Transformation of the Year
2022 IFI DDA - Shortlisted: Stay
2022 Créateurs Design Awards - Longlisted: Best Hospitality Project
2021 Anuala de Arhitectură - Winner: HoReCa Design Award
2021 Dezeen Awards - Longlisted: Emerging Interior Designer of the Year
2021 World Architecture Festival INSIDE Awards - Shortlisted: Hotels
2021 FRAME Awards - Shortlisted: Hospitality
2020 FX Design Awards - Winner: Hotel
2020 AHEAD Europe Awards - Shortlisted: Hotel Conversion
2020 AZ Awards - Winner: Commercial and Institutional Interiors
2020 BigSEE Interior Design Award - Winner: Hospitality Interiors
2020 Dezeen Awards - Longlisted: Hotel and Short-Stay Interior
2020 HD Awards - Shortlisted: Restorations, Transformations, + Conversions
2019 Dezeen Awards - Longlisted: Emerging Interior Designer of the Year

Press

2023 Rural Retreat - Designboom
2023 Rural Retreat - Building Design
2023 Rural Retreat - Igloo
2023 Rural Retreat - Domus Nova Directory
2022 Manea Kella - Dezeen
2022 Manea Kella - Igloo
2022 Rural Retreat - Leibal
2022 Rural Retreat - Architect's Journal
2022 Manea Kella - Livingetc
2022 Manea Kella - Architect's Journal
2022 Manea Kella - Pendulum
2021 Manea Kella - Design Curial
2021 Manea Kella - The Times
2021 Manea Kella - RIBA London Practice of the Month November 2021
2021 Casa Popeea - World Buildings Directory by WAF
2021 Elena Kella - Designerati
2021 Adrian Manea - Designerati
2021 Manea Kella - Wallpaper Magazine
2021 Manea Kella - FX Awards 2021: Judges
2021 Manea Kella - FRAME Magazine
2021 Casa Popeea - FRAME Magazine
2020 Casa Popeea - Sleeper Magazine
2020 Casa Popeea - Azure Magazine
2020 Manea Kella - Dezeen Virtual Design Festival
2020 Casa Popeea - Romanian Design Week 2020
2020 Casa Popeea - Hospitality Design
2020 Casa Popeea - Igloo
2020 Casa Popeea - Elle Decoration UK
2019 Casa Popeea - Dezeen's top 10 hotels of 2019
2019 Casa Popeea - Dezeen
2019 Casa Popeea - AD Russia
2019 Casa Popeea - Archilovers
2019 Casa Popeea - Archello
2018 Crown Hill Road - Dezeen
2018 Crown Hill Road - Arc Magazine
2017 Romney Court - Dezeen
2017 Romney Court - Dezeen
2017 Manea Kella - The Modern House Directory

RIBA Chartered Practice