Cool new flats in Hoxton: creative hub sees homes launch with walls of sliding glass and private balconies in London's Tech City

In an area once dominated by printworks, new apartments are launching with high ceilings, cleverly concealed storage and views over the City among super-cool perks.
From £615,000: flats at Hoxton Press
anthology.visualbank.co.uk
David Spittles4 July 2017

Along with Green Flag-winning Shoreditch Park, Gainsborough Studios, an arty enclave of flats and workspaces where Alfred Hitchcock made six movies, is among the attractions of an underrated canalside district on the Hoxton-Islington border.

Firms of architects, designers and digital start-ups are settling into quiet backstreets once dominated by printworks producing brochures and reports for City banks and insurers. The Hoxton Press scheme of 198 flats in two hexagonal-shaped mid-rise towers takes its name from the site's printing past.

Clad in neat Belgian bricks, the development is one of London's best examples of space-efficient apartment design.

A frameless wall of sliding glass in the main living space opens on to a deep and wide balcony, useable year round.

Interiors feature high ceilings and pocket doors that slide back into the wall cavity, and storage is cleverly concealed. Underfloor heating, oak floors, white-lacquered kitchen units and shadow-gap skirting boards create a clean-cut, contemporary yet comfortable look.

Irene Galvan and James Morgan were sold on the “cool interiors”

The architecture did it for tech worker James Morgan, 37, and financial analyst Irene Galvan, 27. Previously they were renting in the area. "We've watched the neighbourhood improve and we were just waiting for the right development to come along," explains James.

"This was it. We love the unique, almost brutalist design aesthetic and the cool interiors."

The couple bought a two-bedroom apartment with views of the City. Both have a 15-minute cycle ride to work. Prices start at £615,000. Call developer Anthology on 020 3308 9813.