Located in East London, this Grade II* listed Brutalist residential tower is currently being brought back to life by developer Londonewcastle, and architects Studio Egret West who have been part of a renovation effort loyal to architect Ernő Goldfinger’s original concept.

Born in Budapest in 1902, Ernö Goldfinger was a modernist architect. Along with a number of European architects, Goldfinger immigrated to England in the 1930s. Together they helped popularize the modern movement in Britain. After the war he designed several eye-catching projects which led to the commission for Balfron Tower in 1963.

Among Balfron’s radical features is the shape of the building itself, with its separate lift tower linked to the main block by high-level walkways. Goldfinger’s vision for a better way of living and included communal facilities in the lift tower, such as a “jazz/pop” room for music. The refurbished lift tower includes a gym, cinema, library and a penthouse dining room which can be booked by residents.

By the 1980s, it had become a symbol of urban deprivation, featuring in films such as the post-apocalyptic thriller 28 Days Later. But now the property is admired by architecture lovers as a classic example of the Brutalist style.

 Londonewcastle have recently launched two show apartments, designed by Ab Rogers Design and 2LG Studio. Both took advantage of the building’s harsh exterior and referenced its 1960’s heritage, while also adding a contemporary flourish.

We worked with 2LG to create custom wallcoverings for the apartment. The design is a hand drawn quadrant pattern printed which fades out towards the top of the walls and onto the ceilings. The print retains the sketchy quality of the original drawings and was printed in mint and lilac for the bedrooms and in mint onto our mylar base for the hallway.

2LG commented “We loved working with Newmor on our recent project to create a bespoke wallcovering that references the era of the architecture and takes it forward with a clean, fresh colour palette. This is our futurist take on retro print design, with an elongated arch as the main theme. We hand drew each element of the design using felt tip pens to add a playful texture. The square tiles of the design mean that we were able to fade the pattern out, up the wall and across the ceiling to create drama and lead the eye around the space. The reflective quality of the metallic hallway wall covering elevates the whole apartment giving impact to the entrance and widening the feeling of space.”

See our 2LG collaboration and order samples here.

Apartment photos by Megan Taylor.