Star in the east: Wallpaper* Composed kits out an apartment on London’s City Road Basin

Ben van Berkel’s buildings are traffic stoppers; sweeping sci-fi edifices wrapped in kaleidoscopic, dot-matrix exteriors, high-rise moiré exoskeletons and ceramic plate stacks with op-art scoops for windows. Projects such as Five Franklin Place in New York’s Tribeca district, Austria’s Graz Music Theatre, the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, and Taiwan’s Talee Isetan building, all designed by Professor van Berkel’s Amsterdam-based UNStudio, define a new urban aesthetic, reimagining architecture as sculptural form and quickly characterising themselves as contemporary landmarks.
And now London has its own van Berkel landmark; Canaletto, a 31-storey tower adjacent to the City Road Basin, features a unique, curving façade of aluminium and glass that breaks the building’s volume into a series of three-to-five storey clusters.
Bedroom shelving. Pictured, ‘Punctual’ Shelving, by Ferm Living. ‘L’Etourdi’ Decorative mobile, by Volta. ‘Mist’ Vase, by Tamer Nakisci for Nude. ‘Still’ Vase, by Nick Rennie, for Normann Copenhagen. ‘Serif’ TV, by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, for Samsung
Canaletto’s recently unveiled three-bedroom apartments, the Beaumont Collection, located on the building’s 25th to 28th floors, are modern sanctuaries with spectacular panoramic views through floor-to-ceiling glazed façades. The state-of-the-art amenities (swimming pool, gym, spa with treatment rooms, restaurant, private cinema and residents’ club) establish the building as a social and creative hub at the creative crossroads of Islington, Shoreditch, Clerkenwell and the City.
Wallpaper* Composed, our bespoke interior design service, was invited by Canaletto’s developers to create a distinctive furnishing scheme and tonal identity for one of the Beaumont Collection’s show apartments. Wallpaper* interiors director Amy Heffernan selected pieces by both established and up-and-coming designers, choosing to tell the story of a frequent-flying, constantly collecting, cultured resident who is design conscious and aesthetically aware.
The ‘Cosmopolitan Collector’ apartment boldly mixes new and old, incorporating quirky and classic items and acclaimed and naive artworks. The look is both eclectic and contemporary, revealing the Cosmopolitan Collector’s character as you move from room to room. This is high-rise luxe in the heart of east London.
As originally featured in the May 2017 issue of Wallpaper* (W*218)
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
The apartment’s living area, in muted tones of blue and beige, are dotted with plants by new online company, Patch, and art books published by Taschen and Laurence King. Pictured, Conn, by Joël Tettamanti, from Eyestorm; ‘Bellevue AJ7’ floor lamp, by Arne Jacobsen, reissued by & Tradition; ‘Cubo’ cabinet, by Theo Williams, for Another Brand; ‘D.154.2’ armchair, by Gio Ponti, for Molteni & C; vintage daybed, from The Peanut Vendor; ‘Palette’ desk, by Jaime Hayon, for &Tradition; and ‘Borg #04’ rug in Royal Blue, by Louise Roe.
One of three bedrooms, designed as a haven for it’s frequent-flying, cultured resident. Pictured, ‘Captain Flint’ floor lamp, by Michael Anastassiades, for Flos; ‘Palissade’ lounge chair, by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, for Hay; ‘Inchyra Blue’ Estate Emulsion, by Farrow & Ball; ‘Ruben’ bed, by Zanotta; ‘Nati Tati’ bedside table, by Broberg & Ridderstråle, for Asplund; ‘Triomphe’ and ‘Morphée’ bed linen, by Yves Delorme.
The living area. ‘Billy’ floor lamp, by Ilse Crawford, for Kalmar; ‘Pli’ side table, by Victoria Wilmotte, for ClassiCon; ‘Eloro’ sofa, by Rodolfo dordoni, for Cassina; ‘Romi’ wool fabric in Crème, by Pierre Frey; ‘Spanish’ chairs, by Børge Mogensen, for Fredericia; ‘45°’ coffee table, by Ron Gilad, for Molteni & C; and ‘The Moor’ rug, by All The Way To Paris, for &Tradition.
The walk-in wardrobe. Fashion, by Cos; ‘Belleville’ Chair, by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, for Vitra; and ‘Pepe’ Mirror, by Studiopepe, for Menu.
The study area. ‘Palette’ desk, by Jaime Hayon, for &Tradition; ‘Rival’ chair, by Konstantin Grcic, for Artek; and ‘Borg #04’ rug in royal blue, by Louise Roe.
The adjoining dining and kitchen area. ’Kaari’ table, by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, for Artek; ‘Belleville’ chairs, by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, for Vitra; ‘Spanish’ chairs, by Børge Mogensen, for Fredericia; ‘Eloro’ sofa, by Rodolfo Dordoni, for Cassina; ‘Alfi’ bar stool, by Jasper Morrison, for Emeco; and ‘The Moor Rug’, by All The Way To Paris, for &Tradition.
The breakfast bar. ‘Alfi’ bar stool, by Jasper Morrison, for Emeco; and ‘Alfredo’ carafe, by Alfredo Häberli for Georg Jensen.
The balcony featuring ‘Palissade’ chairs and table, by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, for HAY.
The hallway. ‘Rietveld’ chair, by Gerrid Thomas Rietveld; ‘Speculum’ mirror table, by AYTM; curtains in ‘Riko’ in paper, from the Tomoko Collection, by Scion; ’Kaari’ table, by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, for Artek; and ‘Belleville’ chairs, by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, for Vitra.
The second bedroom. ‘Yale’ Bed, upholstered in ‘Soda’ fabric in ‘Deep Teal’ from Kirkby Design, by The Sofa & Chair Company; ‘Classic Hotel’ bed linen set by Tielle Love Luxury; ‘Samba’ throw in Grey by Klippan; ‘Font’ low tables by Sebastian Herkner for Pulpo; ‘The Standard’ table lamp by Sylvain Willenz for Menu; ‘Light Colore’ tumblers by Ichendorf; Wallpaper* City Guides published by Phaidon; ‘Riko’ in steel, from the Tomoko Collection, by Scion; ‘Confetti Grey’ wallpaper by Ferm Living; and ’Cream Tea’ carpet by Axminster
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Canaletto website
ADDRESS
Canaletto Tower
257 City Road
London EC1V 1AD
-
Venerable British car-maker AC goes OTT with the high-output, low-slung AC GT SuperSport
Pitched at all-American fans of the original AC Cobra, the GT SuperSport is a fearsome two-seat roadster with more muscle than ever before
-
The dynamic young gallerists reinvigorating America's art scene
'Hugging has replaced air kissing' in this new wave of galleries with craft and community at their core
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the week
While a few of our editors were in Europe for various showcases and launches, others stayed local, uncovering new cuisines, eccentric exhibitions and glorious gardens this side of the Channel
-
The inimitable Norman Foster: our guide to the visionary architect, shaping the future
Norman Foster has shaped today's London and global architecture like no other in his field; explore his work through our ultimate guide to this most impactful contemporary architect
-
Shard Place offers residents the chance to live in the shadow of London’s tallest building
The 27-storey tower from Renzo Piano Building Workshop joins The Shard and The News Building to complete Shard Quarter, providing a sophisticated setting for renters
-
Kengo Kuma’s ‘Paper Clouds’ in London is a ‘poem’ celebrating washi paper in construction
‘Paper Clouds’, an installation by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, is a poetic design that furthers research into the use of washi paper in construction
-
Foster + Partners to design the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II
For the Queen Elizabeth II memorial, Foster + Partners designs proposal includes a new bridge, gates, gardens and figurative sculptures in St James’ Park
-
Wolves Lane Centre brings greenery, growing and grass roots together
Wolves Lane Centre, a new, green community hub in north London by Material Cultures and Studio Gil, brings to the fore natural materials and a spirit of togetherness
-
A new London exhibition explores the legacy of Centre Pompidou architect Richard Rogers
‘Richard Rogers: Talking Buildings’ – opening tomorrow at Sir John Soane’s Museum – examines Rogers’ high-tech icons, which proposed a democratic future for architecture
-
At the Royal Academy summer show, architecture and art combine as never before
The Royal Academy summer show is about to open in London; we toured the iconic annual exhibition and spoke to its curator for architecture, Farshid Moussavi
-
This ingenious London office expansion was built in an on-site workshop
New Wave London and Thomas-McBrien Architects make a splash with this glulam extension built in the very studio it sought to transform. Here's how they did it