Shard Place offers residents the chance to live in the shadow of London’s tallest building

For design-loving renters, living in London can pose a challenge. But a new development in London Bridge is revising that assumption. Shard Place – a 27-storey glass tower – has just launched to the rental market.

Located adjacent to The Shard and designed by the same architect, Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), Shard Place completes the trio of buildings in Shard Quarter, joining The Shard and The News Building, headquarters of News UK.

Shard Place houses 176 apartments ranging from studios to three-bed units. There are 20 layout options, which can be furnished down to the linen and kitchenware (a necessity for some of the the clientele, who are often moving from abroad – one tenant moved in with only a rucksack of their belongings).

RPBW’s architectural prowess can be felt in the faceted façade, naturally ventilated winter gardens in many of the apartments, and two intersecting volumes that appear to 'float' 16m above the ground.

Interiors, designed by State of Craft, offer two palette options – Bermondsey and Borough, named for the local neighbourhoods – in light or dark colourways. Bermondsey Light features off-white walls, limed oak and white lacquered furniture; its Dark counterpart sets the natural texture of fibre rugs against taupe walls, tan leather and pops of green. The Borough collection offers either natural oak and taupe furniture with aubergine tones, or black oak and gold accents against cooler tones of grey and blue.

Natural light is a defining feature, especially in the apartments cast in the light colourway. This is achieved through floor-to-ceiling windows and triple-aspect vistas which comprise the Thames in the foreground and St Paul’s, Westminster and the London Eye in the distant plane.

Furnishings include handmade pieces by State of Craft, complemented by designs from icons like Børge Mogensen, B&B Italia and Fredericia. Art is also a big deal: over 1,000 curated works, selected by Richeldis Fine Art, are displayed in Shard Place.

There are 12,000 sq ft of amenity spaces here, positioned across three levels. Usually, these are concentrated in the basement of such developments; that they’re not makes a huge difference to the gym (complete with private studio, sauna and steam room), which has views over the King’s College quad.

London’s highest outdoor swimming pool and its landscaped sun deck are on the 27th floor. Elsewhere, find a double-height orangery; a library with a south-facing terrace and views to St Paul’s; a private dining room with a kitchen; and a 15-seat cinema.

And if that’s not enough for appreciators of design, landmarks such as White Cube, Tate Modern and Borough Market are just a stone’s throw away.

Rental prices start from £700 per week for studios, £825 per week for one-bedroom apartments, £1,340 per week for two-bedroom apartments, and £1,875 per week for three-bedroom apartments, the-shard.com