London’s premium rental development, Author King’s Cross is now open and has begun welcoming its first residents to their new homes on the King’s Cross estate. Highly anticipated as the first Build to Rent (BtR) scheme in Related Argent’s portfolio with outstanding service and amenities, the development has seen strong interest with a range of one, two and three-bedroom apartments still available.
To mark the building’s completion, Related Argent has worked with contemporary art gallery, Sugarlift to curate a collection of stunning artworks for the building’s amenity spaces: a bespoke commission from textile artist, Kenny Nguyen and a striking triptych from painter, Kostas Papakostas, both embodying the energy and beauty of life on the King’s Cross estate.
Author King’s Cross comprises three contemporary buildings providing 182 private rental homes centred around a landscaped courtyard garden. The amenity spaces, designed by Conran & Partners and furnished by Accouter BTR, are inspired by boutique hotels with a dedicated on-site team and concierge available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Amenities include a number of residents’ lounges including the courtyard lounge with a striking timber-lattice ceiling, ‘The Nook’ home-working booths, a Fitness Centre with Technogym equipment, screening room, private dining room, coffee and wine bar and garden kitchen opening onto the courtyard. There are also pet-friendly amenities including a pet wash.
New artwork revealed
Located in the beautiful double height lobby in the entrance, the artwork titled The Threads Between Us is a bespoke commission by Vietnam-born artist, Kenny Nguyen. Vibrant and tactile, Kenny’s ‘deconstructed paintings’ use hundreds of hand-painted silk sheets that are then manipulated on canvas for a distinctive sculptural piece. His artworks embrace the cultural significance of silk and blend it for a modern masterpiece. Reaching 8ft by 8ft, The Threads Between Us is Kenny’s first installation in London. With a vivid colour palette of red, yellow, pink and white, the work brings warmth and energy to the space.
Artist Kenny Nguyen says: “I am delighted that my artwork is proudly displayed at Author King’s Cross. The nature of my work looks at curiosity of form, how playful and tactile we can be with the silk panels and their nuanced construction. Every artwork is a little piece of my story and my identity and how to communicate what connects us. My vision for Author was to create a source of energy for the space, to inspire people and capture the beautiful vibrancy of the location and its people.”
In one of Author’s residents’ lounges is the second artwork, an emotive triptych by London-based Kostas Papakostas. The triptych, comprised of paintings Momentum, Mirage, and Ritual offers swirls of inky green paint with expressive brushstrokes. The work forms part of Kostas’ water series with the sea as inspiration, inspired by the movement and peace in water.
Artist Kostas Papakostas says: “I have lived in London for 26 years and witnessed the striking evolution of King’s Cross. It has always been a central location for travel but its recent transformation now sees it as a cultural hub that draws people together, whilst respecting its heritage and historical elements. My artwork embraces the state of constant flow we are all in, the nature of change and finding peace with being in flex. This triptych at Author King’s Cross embodies movement and change, hopefully giving people a moment of quiet contemplation in their busy lives.”
New coffee and wine bar announced
Author King’s Cross has partnered with two award-winning hospitality brands, Daygustation Wines and Caravan Coffee, to cater for residents in the new coffee and wine bar. The partnerships are the first to be announced as part of the lifestyle amenities and curated events programme for residents. Daygustation Wines is an independent wine shop in Wanstead founded by wine expert, wine educator and 2002 Young Wine Writer of the Year Matt Day, who has over 20 years’ experience in the wine industry. Caravan Coffee is an independent roastery with eight restaurants and three brew bars across the capital, including a restaurant in nearby Granary Square.
Matthew Day, Owner at Daygustation Wines, said: “I am excited to be working with Author King’s Cross. The Enomatic machines allow residents to sample a diverse range of delicious wines. As an independent shop I am able to work with small, highly individual growers who make exciting and sustainable wines. Through tastings and workshops I am looking forward to getting to know the likes and dislikes of each resident, allowing me to give them the best possible advice and sell them wines they really love. When I am not on hand, each wine has a bespoke Daygustation QR code allowing residents to learn about the grapes, region and food pairing possibilities in plain English written by me.”
Dan Valenzisi, Business Development Manager at Caravan Coffee, added: “We are delighted to be providing our award-winning Daily Blend for residents at Author King’s Cross, an exceptional coffee, to be enjoyed all day. As an independent brand with our local roastery, we are passionate about bringing delicious, sustainable coffee to Londoners. With one of our restaurants located in nearby Granary Square, we have a great relationship with residents and workers in King’s Cross and we are looking forward to bringing our coffee to the newest residents of the estate.”
Michael Herrington, Director of Build-to-Rent Operations at Related Argent said: “We are delighted to officially launch Author King’s Cross and welcome our first residents into their new homes. Author King’s Cross offers a premium lifestyle in the unique location of the King’s Cross estate. The amenity spaces and attention to detail are important to the rental experience and we are delighted to display such vibrant, evocative works by two prominent artists, as well as to welcome Daygustation Wines and Caravan Coffee to the scheme.”
The apartments are furnished by David Phillips, with a very high specification throughout. Residents at Author King’s Cross will benefit from living in one of the best areas in London as part of the King’s Cross estate, with on-trend retail, a wide variety of eating and drinking options and a rich cultural calendar of events.
Author King’s Cross is located at 180 York Way and delivered in partnership with The Olayan Group and King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership (KCCLP), the freehold owner of the King’s Cross estate. KCCLP brings together pension fund AustralianSuper, clients of the international business of Federated Hermes and Argent investors.
Related Argent has plans to deliver 3,000 BtR homes in the three vibrant locations of King’s Cross, Tottenham Hale and Brent Cross Town. The homes at Author King’s Cross are ready to move into now, with prices from £3,450(pcm). For further information or to register your interest, please visit www.authorkingscross.com or contact [email protected].
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About Related Argent Limited
In 2015, Argent and Related joined forces to create an unrivalled UK property business and urban regeneration specialist. The company brings together the expertise and track record of Argent – the developer behind some of Britain’s most successful mixed-use places, and Related – one of the most innovative and prolific real estate companies in the US. The combined experience delivering ground breaking projects such as King’s Cross in London, Hudson Yards and Deutsche Bank Center in New York, Brindleyplace in Birmingham, The Square in West Palm Beach, Florida and The Grand LA in Los Angeles is brought to bear on each of the projects.
Related Argent operates across a range of property sectors including residential, workspace, education, shopping, hospitality and leisure. Its work goes beyond bricks and mortar development. It also specialises in the services, facilities and experiences that are so important to urban life – art, culture, events, schools, skills & training programmes and renewable energy networks.
Related Argent is one of the UK’s leading developer-owner-operators and, since its inception eight years ago, has rapidly grown a £9Bn+, 12m sq ft mixed-use development pipeline. This includes major regeneration projects in London, at Brent Cross Town and Tottenham Hale, as well as a Build-to-Rent (BtR) scheme at King’s Cross, known as ‘Author King’s Cross’. It’s accessing global capital markets to deliver major new projects across the UK and is seeking to expand its BtR housing portfolio. On 1 May 2024, Argent will transfer all employees, projects and assets to Related Argent Limited.
Related Argent’s vision is to be a great city builder – for people, planet, and prosperity and its purpose is to improve urban life for all, everyday. This means developing for the long term - astutely,sustainably and with a senseof social purpose.Related Argent is delivering the places, homes,workspace, public space, arts, culture, events and services thatour UK cities and town centresneed. www.argentllp.co.uk
About The Olayan Group
The Olayan Group is a multinational enterprise with an actively managed portfolio of global investments. The Group has international offices in Vaduz, New York, London, Luxembourg, Athens, Riyadh, and Singapore. The Group’s in-house professionals manage a multi-billion-dollar investment portfolio.
In addition to Author King’s Cross, the Group’s real estate holdings include other well-known historic properties, notably The Knightsbridge Estate, the Paris Portfolio, the Mandarin Oriental Ritz Hotel in Madrid, and 550 Madison in New York.
About Kenny Nguyen
Born in South Vietnam and having moved to the United States in 2010, Kenny Nguyen sees himself as a blended product of two distinct cultures with an ever-evolving identity which he communicates through his work. Kenny initially trained as a fashion designer before attending fine art school which is where he began experimenting with silk. His artworks are a hybrid of painting, sculpture and installation and he often encourages collectors to play around with the fabric’s undulating form to find their own masterpiece. The silk dyeing, painting and design process can take weeks, with large piece installations taking hours. Each artwork is constructed piece by piece and Kenny seeks to find the invisible thread that brings his work together, “much like how an invisible thread connects our lives and communities”. Each piece of his work is unique and aspires to make a connection between the artist, viewer and space.
About Kostas Papakostas
Kostas Papakostas is a London-based multidisciplinary artist, working predominantly in painting. With a reverse for the journey over the destination, Kostas creates a visual language that speaks to the nuances of the human experience.
Kostas primarily works in monochrome with a focus on sweeping brushstrokes to convey a constant state of flow without colour interference. His work looks at how art works in spaces and how people respond to it, as “each piece seeks to spark an emotional, authentic response”, he explains. Kostas previously worked as an award-winning creative director in advertising, with clients including Louis Vuitton, BVLGARI Hotel and One Hyde Park, with his own award-winning design studio. A recent London installation hangs in the Pavyllon restaurant of the Four Seasons Park Lane hotel.
