Roksanda Illin?i? Transforms The Penthouse in King’s Cross With Postmodern Furniture and Art
LONDON — Roksanda Illin?i? can add interior design to her list of creative pursuits. The fashion designer has furnished one of the penthouses at The Gasholders, a refurbished Grade-II listed industrial structure that has been transformed into modern apartments in the new retail district Coal Drops Yard at King’s Cross.
For Illin?i?, designing the apartment has been a homecoming of sorts. “I studied at Central Saint Martins and lived near here at the time. It was such a landmark when I was living in this area. This has been such a wonderful project that has brought me a lot of joy,” she said.
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The three-bedroom duplex has been decorated in a similar way to Illin?i?’s own house and there are also elements that mirror her ready-to-wear pieces, such as the red and pink color scheme and circle motifs in artworks and the postmodern and mid-century modern furniture.
“My initial feeling when I walked into the flat was that I liked what I saw, but it was quite absent, stark and maybe too masculine for my taste. I needed to bring a little warmth and a little feminine energy to create a sort of calmness,” she said.
Illin?i?, who has a background in architecture, filled the apartment with works from female artists such as furniture from Lina Bo Bardi and Charlotte Perriand, and with personal mementos, such as a book the designer read in school by Valeria Napoleone.
Talk about marketing opportunities: A Roksanda bag and coat have been hung on the coatrack and a bag sits on a stool nearby. The living room and dining room windows look out toward the canal, and they are lined with pink curtains, as is the rest of the space.
“I think the results really speak to my brand’s DNA, my collections and my ready-to-wear,” she said, pointing to the large pink and burgundy mural on the back by artist Caroline Denervaud.
Dotted around the apartment are books about women who have inspired the designer’s collections. There are titles about Barbara Hepworth, Anni Albers and Marlene Dumas as well as male artist Kazimir Malevich, one of the designer’s biggest inspirations.
The downstairs area houses three bedrooms and a “reflection room,” the designer’s favorite space, which is adjacent to the master bedroom.
The reflection room is a space between the main bathroom and the hallway that is decorated minimally with a Lina Bo Bardi chair and a Roksanda dress hanging from the wall.
“I felt that this is a room to reflect and to think, which is something we are missing in our lives, it is the ultimate luxury. The room has a kind of tranquillity that appeals to me and that’s why it’s my favorite,” she said.
The master bedroom has been designed with four different shades of burgundy and has a bulbous floor lamp, which the designer describes as “a cuddly cactus. The master bedroom is the room where you can feel my full sense of color,” she said.
Illin?i? filled the empty penthouse in 11 weeks.
“The deadline for this was the same for my ready-to-wear collection, but it was really important to me to do something different and seeing it all come together. I really think now it is a place someone would call home,” she said, adding that she worked with her friend Nick Vinson of Vinson & Co.
The fully-furnished penthouse is available to purchase for 7.7 million pounds.
Launch Gallery: Roksanda Designs The Penthouse at Gasholders London
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