London is a city predicated on and designed around commerce, community and culture. The materials, aesthetics and atmospheres of each neighbourhood are driven by its particular function and specific human interaction. Inspired by the city’s storied past and ever-evolving cartographic spread, developers revive forgotten postcodes and reinvent industrial environments as places to live and work, each project reflecting and celebrating its surroundings.
Goodluck Hope, a new Ballymore-developed riverside scheme in east London, is inspired by the area’s industrial heritage. Dating back to 1297 and once part of the East India Docks, the neighbourhood once supported a community of manufacturers, from coopers to glassmakers and seed crushers. Redesigned by architects Allies & Morrison, the area is now back on the map with plans that include warehouse and tower apartments and townhouses, and a restored Grade II-listed dry dock at the heart of the development. Roofscapes and a robust architectural style nod to the scale and materials of London’s historic wharfs.
Goodluck Hope: A vision of calm, as imagined for the loft apartments at this development in what was once part of the East India Docks
Adjacent to the Canary wharf business district, Ballymore is developing Mill Harbour, an urban village including more than 1,500 new homes, among them waterside properties and customisable apartments, as well as a theatre, educational facilities, and retail and commercial spaces. Set in extensive parkland and built around squares, the work/play hub of Mill Harbour is designed for truly flexible living.
Over in west London, at the confluence of the river Brent and the Thames, The Brentford Project by Ballymore is designed to enhance the lives of both residents and visitors alike by establishing a new quarter. Across a series of lanes and yards, the transformational development will reconnect the high street with the waterfront.
Mill Harbour: High style and contemporary decadence in an imagined entertaining space, with views over Canary Wharf
Working closely with Ballymore, and with a fantastical touch, Wallpaper* Composed, the brand’s bespoke interior service, has created three distinctive and complementary interior styles that reflect and celebrate each development’s unique location. For Goodluck Hope’s loft apartments, Wallpaper* Composed editor Amy Heffernan has imagined a home for a young, start-up entrepreneur; modern lounge décor emphasises the generous daylight and high ceiling, while fixtures, fittings and material accents nod to the area’s post-industrial, urban aesthetic. At The Brentford Project, Heffernan has envisioned a morning-centric space for a horticultural hobbyist, with versatile, outdoor/indoor furniture that makes the most of the apartment’s corner position and balcony overlooking the surrounding green area. For Mill Harbour, she has imagined an entertaining space for the consummate host, choosing a clean and natural colour palette and contemporary furniture, informed by the Canary Wharf vista and optimised for dinner and cocktails. ‘The look is decadently cosy,’ says Heffernan. ‘An interior designed to reflect the tones and textures of the city at dusk.’
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