Take a look inside 180 The Thames with Alex Eagle

With Alex Eagle’s new studio set to relocate to 180 The Thames, and the buzz building around the newly opened St. Clement, now feels like the right moment to take a look inside. Furniture has always mattered at 180, and the new residential apartments and river lofts, designed by Eagle + Hodges, are no exception. These are the pieces that caught our eye on a tour around the space with Eagle herself.

Gaetano Pesce’s Feltri chair for Cassina

Born in La Spezia in 1939, Pesce spent more than six decades questioning the conventions of modernism. He resisted standardisation, believing that objects should reflect the individuality of the people who make and use them.

He designed the Feltri chair for Cassina in 1987, with thick felt, a rigid lower structure and a flexible, enveloping back. It’s functional and sculptural, playful and experimental, all at once. In the apartments it’s a talking point: is it a chair or a sculpture? Either way, it’s something to sit in and interact with.

Bernar Venet’s 1993 steel sofa, upholstered by Eagle + Hodges

This is one of Venet’s most resonant pieces, and as much a work of art as any of his sculptures. A 1993 version is the centrepiece of the penthouse, set in the library facing west with views over the Thames and Westminster. Fabricated in steel, it has a serious presence that dominates the room without ever feeling ostentatious.

Upholstered in a cream Eagle + Hodges fabric, its dark steel stands out even more, and the material clarity that makes Venet’s work so recognisable comes through. Better known for his sculptures, he shows here that the same craftsmanship runs through his furniture, with steel used in the same robust, dramatic way.

Gabriella Crespi’s Yang Yin desk

Another standout stainless steel piece in the penthouse is this adjustable desk with an integrated bookshelf, made in 1979 by the Italian artist and designer Gabriella Crespi. 'It’s one of my favourite pieces,’ says Eagle. ‘It must have been so modern at the time. It’s still incredibly fresh.'

This idea of functional sculpture runs throughout 180 The Thames and St. Clement, and steel is a defining material in Eagle + Hodges’ direction for the space.

Jorge Zalszupin’s rosewood table

Jorge Zalszupin was a Polish-born Brazilian architect and designer best known for his woodwork. This table in the penthouse shows why — it’s clean, curved and beautifully crafted in a deep, rich rosewood that balances the steel kitchen in the space. The natural warmth of the material softens all the metal adjacent.

Eastern European- and Scandi-style lines sit atop a concrete circular base, an unexpected pairing that works.

George Nakashima chairs and table

Decades after his death, Japanese-American designer George Nakashima continues to be celebrated for his distinctive approach to woodwork. Developed after settling in New Hope, Pennsylvania, following the Second World War, his signature style embraced the natural imperfections of wood, leaving raw edges and organic markings exposed. Working with materials including East Indian rosewood, American black walnut and cherry, as well as fallen timber, Nakashima created pieces that followed the natural contours of the wood, preserving the knots, holes and irregularities of each tree.

His furniture features throughout 180 The Thames and St. Clement, particularly in the lobbies, where his tables and chairs showcase his craftsmanship. ‘It’s just so beautiful,’ says Eagle. ‘His use of wood is just extraordinary.’ Nakashima would often use a single piece of wood to make his functional art, celebrating the inherent beauty of the material used.

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