Manhattan Loft Corporation – the company that brought loft living to London in the Eighties – is launching a new brand, Manhattan Loft Creative, to hand down high-end design principles to schemes in less established areas for a reasonable amount of money.

The first scheme that offers Manhattan Loft’s uber-cool upper-scale design ideas to the masses is the conversion of Honor Oak Church in London?s East Dulwich. Half of the church is being resurrected into 10 apartments and four townhouses starting at £285,000 for a one-bed apartment to £580,000 for a three-bed duplex. And the other half will be renovated into the parish?s new worship space.

The interiors of the homes will hold onto many of the original features and the ecclesiastical feel of the building, while introducing top notch contemporary materials and flooring, sophisticated IT and audio visual technology.

Honor Oak Church — their first big project

Manhattan Loft has carried out several high-end room-with-a-pew church renovation projects in the past, including Westbourne Grove Church in Notting Hill, St Phillip’s Church, Kensington, St Mary’s Guinea Lane, Bath and All Saints Church in Surrey.

‘It is a bit like having a meal at Wagamama or shopping at Habitat, with good design becoming an integral part of something affordable for the mid-market,’ explains Harry Handelsman, chief executive of Manhattan Loft Corporation.

To keep costs down, Mr Handelsman points out there might not be oak floors in MLCreative homes, ‘but we will use good quality materials and make it fun.’