Reyaan Hameed - MA Interiors
The Common Rooms
I am a multidisciplinary designer whose practice spans interior design, curation, and visual art. My project responds to the growing commodification and privatisation of urban space, where access is conditional and belonging limited by market-driven priorities. It advocates a community-led approach that restores openness to the built environment. At its core is the belief that storytelling can guide design, recognising that cities like Manchester are shaped not only by architecture but also by the everyday stories and histories of their people.
The Northern Quarter exemplifies these tensions, with gentrification, “beer gardenification,” and consumer-focused regeneration reshaping the area and marginalising non-drinkers, working-class communities, and religious minorities. The former Wholesale Fish Market reflects this trajectory. Once a lively hub of trade and exchange, it has been reduced to a gated residential area, retaining only fragments of its original structure. This shift illustrates how spaces rooted in community identity are increasingly supplanted by environments structured around consumerism and surveillance. The proposal reimagines the Fish Market as a civic commons, restoring its role as a site of belonging and shared experiences. By doing so, it seeks to counter exclusionary trends and create a more collective urban future.
Built around the idea of a shared home, the space unfolds through four key rooms, each encouraging connection and collaboration in its own way: The Lounge, the social heart of the hub, a space to relax through entertainment; The Dining Room, a communal space where food, culture, and traditions come together; The Playroom, a lively corner for exploration, creativity, and shared play; and finally The Study, a quiet retreat for learning through the stories and voices of the local collective. Together, they form a set of urban living rooms that transforms Manchester’s historic former Fish Market into a place where people can gather and feel at home.
