There’s a whiff of Guy de Maupassant’s famed hatred of the Eiffel Tower in the press release for developer Derwent’s new Buckley building in Clerkenwell, which emphasises how lovely London’s other rooftops look from its roof terrace. But it’s not that odd: eponymous architect Buckley Gray Yeoman has given the former factory an ‘austere profile’ that recalls the area’s industrial past. It’s a different story inside, however, where it has used a minimalist palette of luxurious materials, with metalwork by a suitably decadent sounding Italian firm. Marzorati Ronchetti was responsible for the reception’s rich black iron wall panels, doors, staircases, balustrades and gorgeous metal handrails – bringing some Latin style to its Anglo Saxon austerity.

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