This is the latest instalment of The Inside Story, Wallpaper’s series spotlighting intriguing, innovative and industry-leading interior design.
This week’s Inside Story looks through the keyhole of The Whiteley – the £1.5 billion transformation of Whiteleys, the UK’s first department store, into a mixed-use development. This London landmark – which revealed its first show apartment, designed by Kelly Behun, back in 2023 – has just launched a new apartment, set inside the clock tower of the Grade II-listed building.
The four-bedroom residence, part of the development’s Designer Collection, is furnished by Maxalto – a B&B Italia Group brand founded by architect and designer Antonio Citterio – on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. This sanctuary showcases the brand’s neoclassical aesthetic, echoing the architectural heritage of The Whiteley itself. ‘The space exemplifies quiet luxury, architectural integrity and enduring Italian design,’ says Alex Michelin, CEO of developer Valouran.
Demetrio Apolloni, CEO of B&B Italia Group, adds: ‘The collaboration with The Whiteley brings together the B&B Italia Group team’s knowledge of the architectural characteristics of this landmark building, and the timeless contemporary soul of Maxalto.’
A distinctive feature of the apartment is its ‘clock tower room’, complete with 6m ceiling heights and sweeping views of London. The space is also home to a floor-to-ceiling bookcase with top-stitched leather shelving, illuminated by Flos’ ‘Notambule’ pendant lights.
Elsewhere, the apartment boasts revival furniture and bespoke boiserie wall panelling. The living room centres around a Corteccia stone fireplace and features a natural wenge dining table and Lilium sofa, curved around a ‘Xilos’ coffee table in glossy Sahara Noir marble. In the adjoining Arclinea kitchen, Bianca Eclipsia quartzite countertops meet tobacco-toned leather bar stools.
The principal suite features a Kasia leather headboard and a walk-in dressing room, while the study includes Maxalto’s black oak ‘Biblia’ bookcases and a ‘Pathos’ desk topped with Calacatta marble.
The apartment sits adjacent to The Whiteley’s restored Edwardian Baroque glass dome – originally part of the 1911 department store and reimagined by architect Foster + Partners to create a winter garden. It’s visible from the apartment’s 88 sq m private terrace, home to a dining zone and natural linen Gio sunbeds.
Whitleys department store was first conceived by William Whiteley over 130 years ago to showcase wares from around the world; the new addition to the building’s latest incarnation honours that legacy. This residence is infused with global design influences, yet grounded in the neoclassical tradition that made the original a star.
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