Penthouse at The Founding
Within British Land’s landmark Canada Water residential development, The Founding, Conran and Partners has crafted the interiors of a three-bedroom penthouse with a soft, townhouse-inspired approach to high-rise living. The project is the latest layer in an ongoing collaboration with British Land, with Conran and Partners’s role encompassing the design of all apartments and shared amenities at The Founding, as well as three neighbouring commercial buildings within the wider masterplan.
Perched on the 32nd floor, The Penthouse at The Founding is a home above the city with expansive views spanning from Canary Wharf to The City of London and beyond. The design brief called for interiors that took a bold, imaginative leap: an aspirational sanctuary infused with warmth and sophistication, rich in colour, texture and soul.
The result is a layered and deeply personal environment, where vintage treasures and rare design finds sit in harmony with bespoke furniture, artworks from British Land’s private collection including pieces by David Hockney, and woven commissions by rising textile artist Lara Pain. The space feels collected and cultured, rich in personality and global influence, where dockside living converges with the richness of craft from around the world.
Simon Kincaid said: “A unifying feature throughout the apartment is a bold “blue drench” palette, where blue becomes the new white, replacing natural colours with tones inspired by shifting skies and weather, reinterpreting the sensation of living among the clouds.”
Upon entering the apartment, residents are welcomed into an intimate nook, designed for functionality and doubling as quiet reading or resting spot. A central corridor leads to a large living area, anchored by a bespoke sofa designed in collaboration with Ateliers London, whose warm terracotta upholstery sets the tone for a curated composition of iconic furniture including pieces by Carlo Scarpa, Gerrit Thomas Rietveld and Gastone Rinaldi. The organic shape of the furniture softens the industrial architecture of the building, while the low silhouette of the bespoke sofa protects panoramic sightlines, ensuring the skyline remains the room’s defining feature.
The spacious kitchen features full-height dark-veneered kitchen cabinets with engineered details including black metal framing details and recessed handles, backdropped with white tiles whose glazed surface recalling the reflections on the local waterways.
At the opposite end of the corridor, with direct views over the Canary Wharf skyline, the master bedroom is a sunlit sanctuary offering a calm, enveloping retreat. A wrap-around silk curtain introduces sinuous warmth and a subtle hospitality touch, contrasting with the industrial character of Georgiev Zabeta’s high-table and steel triangle lamp, as well as the Beton Brut round steel mirror above, which reflects light and skyline views. The bed, with its minimalist, bespoke headboard and pink-hued base, is punctuated by a floating 1960s vintage artwork by Gustaf Höglund.
The second bedroom transitions to earthy tones, with walls colour-drenched in terracotta and bespoke pieces that create a moodier, cocoon-like environment. Moving back towards the living room, the third bedroom features brighter tones with butter yellow walls framing a bespoke headboard.
