‘Anice apartment on its own doesn’t cut it anymore,’ says London-based property developer Alex Michelin. ‘The consumer is so savvy now with social media; everyone sees everything. Property is less-location specific, more lifestyle- driven. You have to place-make, create an environment that says to people: ‘This is how I want to live my life.’
This year, Michelin and his firm friend and like-minded developer Marcus Meijer unveil The Whiteley, where the lucky few will certainly want to live their lives. Founded by draper William Whiteley in 1911, Whiteleys was an opulent emporium that rivalled Selfridges and Liberty. Its majestic internal staircase was modelled on Milan’s La Scala, and its slogan ‘everything from a pin to an elephant’ drew shoppers from all over London. But it failed to keep up with its competitors, and when Michelin and Meijer bought it in 2013, Whiteleys was a tired mall of broken escalators and now-defunct chain stores.
Since then, chilly winds have blown across London, bringing Brexit, lockdowns and a cost of living crisis. But the forward-thinking pair have weathered the storms and created leading communal and residential spaces that people love – think Borough Yards and and Twenty Grosvenor Square by Finchatton (the development company Michelin co-founded 22 years ago before setting up his new venture, Valouran, in 2023 with Matthew Robertson).
Denne historien er fra January 2024-utgaven av Wallpaper.
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Denne historien er fra January 2024-utgaven av Wallpaper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Guiding Light - Designer Joe Armitage follows his grandfather's footsteps in India, reissuing his elegant midcentury lamp and creating a new chandelier for Nilufar Gallery
For some of us, family inheritances I tend to be burdensome, taking up space, emotionally and physically, in both our minds and attics. For the London-based designer and architect Joe Armitage, however, a family heirloom has taken him somewhere lighter and brighter, across generations and continents, and into the path of Le Corbusier. This is the story of a lamp designed by Edward Armitage in India 72 years ago, which has today been expanded into a collection of lights by his grandson Joe.
POLE POSITION
A compact Melbourne house with a small footprint is big on efficiency and experimentation
URBAN OASIS
At an art-filled Mexico City residence, New York designer Giancarlo Valle has put his own spin on the country's traditional craft heritage
WARM FRONT
Designer Clive Lonstein elevates his carefully curated Manhattan home with rich textures and fabrics
BALCONY SCENE
A Brazilian island hotel offers a unique approach to the alfresco experience
ENSEMBLE CAST
How architect Anne Holtrop is leaving his mark on the Middle East
Survival mode
A new show looks at preparing for a post-apocalyptic landscape (and other catastrophes)
FLASK FORCE
A limited-edition perfume collaboration between two Spanish craft masters says it with flowers
BLOOM SERVICE
A flower-shaped brutalist beauty in Geneva gets a refresh
SECOND NATURE
A remodelled museum in Lisbon, by Kengo Kuma & Associates, meshes Japanese and Portuguese influences to create a space that sits in harmony with its surroundings