All eyes are looking to west London today as theTelevision Centrein White City reopens in a new guise as an apartment building. Aseries of super-luxe, design-led apartments have been unveiled in the in the iconic circular building that was once home to Top of the Pops and Blue Peter.
The team behind the project? Interiors supremo Suzy Hoodless - Livingetc favourite and the brains behind some of London’s best-looking hangouts including trendy east London eatery Hoxton Grill - and RIBA Stirling Prize-winning architect Paul Monaghan of AHMM, who has paid homage to the original features of the Fifties building throughout.
Think carpets splattered with the same dot pattern that adorns the facade of Studio 1 and apartment doors numbered in the BBC’s house font.
And behind the doors? Suzy’s pretty but playful, modern-meets-retro aesthetic, brought to life with a carefully curated mix of Scandinavian design classics and British craft.
Livingetc spotted Carl Hansen & Son’s Wishbone chairs, living rooms with Eero Saarinen’s 1948 Womb Chair, plush, velvet-upholstered sofa’s by Soeren Lund and ash coffee tables by Another Country.
Quirky touches include Alexander Girard wooden dolls and prints by Howard Hodgkin. Cast your eyes down and you’ll notice broadcasting satellites and Television Centre architecture reworked into graphic dhurries by Vanderhurd.
Oh, and the bathrooms ain't bad either.
Even the reception area is enviably chic, with Scandi-style lines for the concierge desk and on-trend Terrazzo flooring.
All sounds pretty swish, right? There’s more. The £1 billion transformation of the iconic British-broadcasting premises will feature a bevvy of new bars and restaurants including Patty & Bun, Bluebird Café White City and the newest home for super-sized pizza haven, Homeslice (run by Sir Terry Wogan’s restaurateur sons at the spiritual home of some of their late fathers best-loved shows). And that's not to mention a private cinema. We’re sold.
Furthermore, White City House, the latest arm of the Soho House Group, is set to open in April complete with rooftop pool, fitness centre and a 45 bedroom hotel.
Livingetc took a sneak peak around the bedrooms and can tell you to expect Wes Anderson-esque palettes, statement headboards and dark wood paneling, all softly illuminated by Rye Pottery’s mid-century modern lamps.
Not bad to have all that on your doorstep, eh? We even hear one BBC producer has snapped up the flat that used to be his office.
Did you know? Viewed from above, the footprint of the building takes the shape of a question mark. Feel free to drop that into dinner party conversation...