Towering Ambition

How things change. Until a decade or so ago, nobody, at least not in Britain, aspired to live in a tower block. Councils up and down the land had built towers to house those who couldn't afford the cherished Victorian terraced house, thirties semi, or detached bungalow. And so they became associated with poverty and deprivation, and, after the catastrophic collapse in 1968 of Ronan Point, in East London, with poor build quality too. Partly as a result of this event, it can still be difficult to this day, to find a lender prepared to offer mortgages on buildings over about 6 storeys, particularly if the building in question is an ex local authority block. Despite this background however, the top end of the housing market has recently been enthusiastically building ever higher towers. Most notable is the 50 storey Vauxhall Tower nearing completion by the river in SW8. Despite recent bad publicity when it was hit by a helicopter in the fog, it will doubtless have no shortage of buyers for its multi-million pound apartments. Meanwhile on the Isle of Dogs, among the cluster of towers of London's new financial heart, are the twin Pan Peninsula Towers. And there on the thirty-somethingth floor, I photographed this palatial party pad with panoramic views.

Polished to Perfection

Seldom has an apartment block generated so much publicity, but then seldom do apartments command such eye-watering prices. One Hyde Park materialised at the start of the credit crunch, but has apparently been unaffected by it, sailing above the economic storms battering the rest of Britain and the West. Conceived by the developer brothers, Candy & Candy, it is not a single apartment block, but 4 inter-linked buildings designed by architects, Rogers, Stirk, Harbour & Partners. The exterior divides opinion, but I'd been itching to get inside the building ever since it was completed. Fortunately, award winning Interior Designers, Casa Forma asked me to photograph what must be their most impressive project to date. The shoot was not without its challenges. Simply getting into the building is a hurdle in itself, as security is understandably tight. The main issue however concerns the finishes throughout the apartment. 'Antique' mirrored walls, highly laquered timber veneers and polished stone and marble. All look fabulous, but are super glossy and reflective, making it almost impossible to conceal the tripod and camera, let alone any flashlight. On occasion it's unavoidable, so thank heaven for Photoshop!

As I mentioned, many column inches have been devoted to the subject of One Hyde Park. Here's a thought provoking one that appeared in Vanity Fair recently.

Room at the Top

 The world is awash with words that are overused and habitually misused. This is particularly true in the worlds of Design & Property. The very word design has spawned the lazily ubiquitous description "Designer". As in "Designer" Handbag. It's become so meaningless, and makes me raise an eyebrow over my "Designer" specs every time I hear it. Or take "Luxury"; once it meant "indulgence in costly pleasures", suggestive of a life lived in palatial grandeur, but these days even the shoddiest new development of apartments overlooking a flyover in an undesirable postcode, is described as "Luxury". Another is "Penthouse". Just by virtue of being the top floor of an apartment block, doesn't automatically make it worthy of that title.

However, the following examples definitely qualify in my opinion. Both are in good locations, have elegant interiors finished to a very high standard, and have a sizable  chunk of exterior rooftop space. The first, designed by Alan McVitty, overlooks one of West London's  garden squares. The elegant open plan living floor, while not huge, is well proportioned and cleverly segmented for its different uses. The dropped ceiling over the dining area provides an interesting change of scale and mood, while also providing the base for the roof terrace above. Clerestrory glazing either side, also allows each space to be lit from both sides. use of materials and detailing are particularly good, and the silk panelled wall in the master bedroom surely qualifies as luxury.

The second penthouse, and also my second shoot for Adrienne Chinn, enjoys wraparound views of Belgravia, but looks particularly impressive with the intense blue light of dusk as a backdrop. Its generous living spaces have a cool urban vibe, and are kitted out in a punchy scheme of black, white and red, topped off with well chosen works of art and accessories. Scale is the real luxury here, and with the well stocked bar, it's the perfect party venue. The vibe is definitely softer downstairs in the bedrooms and bathrooms. The perfect calm retreat after the party upstairs.