While in London for last month’s design festival, our BlogTour of design bloggers made a stop at the Poggenpohl showroom, which shares a cavernous space under a series of railway arches with designer bathroom supplier C.P.Hart and stone supplier Stone Theater. Situated down an unassuming alleyway in the city’s Waterloo neighborhood, the space is not only the flagship showroom in London but the largest in the U.K., according to showroom manager Kevin Robertson. Despite the unusual location, the German manufacturer’s modern cabinetry—including the handle-free Segmento kitchen system and +Artesio arch unit—looked striking surrounded by brickwork and showcased with Gaggenau appliances, Spekva worktops, and BLANCO sinks and faucets. The showroom is open to the public as well as the A&D community.
After our visit to the showroom, Poggenpohl sponsored an architectural tour of the city, led by Timothy Bruce-Dick of TBD Architects, a small firm in Camden Town. During the tour, we made stops to 122 Leadenhall Street (aka “the cheesegrater”) ,which is currently under construction, and the new residential Neo Bankside complex, both by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. Across the street from Neo Bankside, we saw the progress of the Tate Modern extension project by Herzog & de Meuron. We also made a stop to the car-melting 20 Fenchurch Street (the Walkie Talkie building) by Rafael Viñoly, which will be completed in 2014. After crossing the Millennium Bridge, we ended our tour with a view of St. Paul’s Cathedral while having afternoon tea at the Tate.
Disclaimer: Poggenpohl was one of the sponsors of my trip to the London Design Festival as part of BlogTour London. The opinions in the post are entirely my own.
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