A striking new landmark, with interiors to match

Art Deco-inspired interiors for a penthouse in The Atlas Building

We needed to attract a high-end crowd without succumbing to the bling so often associated with penthouse price tags. This is Shoreditch, after all, a hipster land, gritty and graffitied, rich in creativity, venture capital and silicon start-ups.

The building itself is an instant source of inspiration. It’s like a vast silver totem characterised by precise and boldly delineated geometric shapes. A modern masterpiece with echoes of Art Deco, a style we were keen to incorporate into our scheme.

The Atlas Building | Interiors | Angel O'Donnell

Smoke and mirrors

We chose to clad the conspicuous columns in eglomise mirror to make a feature of them. The distressed surface has been bronzed, so that when the light hits, the room is suffused with a warm, golden glow.

Hot spot

The floor-to-ceiling shelving unit was designed in-house to do several things: zone a large open-plan space, create a beautiful feature out of quality materials, increase storage and, of course, add a feature fireplace.

Its unusually elevated position, neatly housed within the joinery, is an unexpected treat for anyone who sees it light up for the first time.

Lounge around

Turn a corner and you’ll see that we’ve transitioned from the 1920s to indulge our love of the mid-century. Reupholstered vintage Danish cocktail chairs meet a Giacometti-inspired sculpture and a limited-edition print of the late Sandra Blow’s – one of the pioneers of the British abstract movement. A small departure from a theme always helps to keep things interesting.

The Atlas Building | Bedroom | Angel O'Donnell

Crescent moon

Complementary shapes flourish in this room: the glinting crescent brass of the Lee Broom pendant light. The little crescents of light that bounce off the Nobilis fabric of the cushions. The reflective arches of the leather headboard. These materials have an animated quality, full of life and lustre.

Fair and square

Here, many elements conspire to create a bold and deceptively simple look. The bespoke headboard with squares of geometrically patterned wood panelling. The dove-grey leather bedside tables with ebony lacquered drawers. The matte black cylindrical pendant lights. The black and gold chinoiserie cushions. These things slot together with jigsaw precision – and the effect is most satisfying.

“Angel O’Donnell’s designs were spot on. They understood the architecture and culture of the area. Most importantly, they grasped the urgency of getting the job done so that we could rent the apartment as soon as possible.”

Neil Short Director of Lettings JLL

Record breakers

The pleasure of designing a show home is ensuring it looks nothing like one. Our job is to subtly subvert the expected and create something uniquely desirable.

We’ve achieved that here. For the wealthy investor who owned the penthouse managed to rent it fully furnished for three times the highest ever recorded rent in EC1.