Architecture & Design
Alex Eagle Opens London Flagship at 180 the Thames on Oct. 1
Designer Alex Eagle moves her studio from Soho into 180 the Thames, the 500,000-square-foot riverside complex she creatively directs. The store opens Oct. 1.

Alex Eagle will open Alex Eagle Studio, her new two-level shop and showroom, at 180 the Thames in central London on Oct. 1. The move relocates her business from Soho into the 500,000-square-foot stone-and-glass complex she has spent roughly three years creatively directing.
180 the Thames sits on the north bank of the river. It comprises residences, the St. Clement hotel — a collaboration with entrepreneur Nick Jones — a restaurant, a deli and cafe, and a health club with a Japanese-style bathhouse. Eagle, 43, developed the project alongside her husband, Mark Wadhwa, a property developer and founder of 180 Quarter, which encompasses 180 the Thames and the neighboring 180 the Strand.
The undertaking is also personal. Eagle and Wadhwa, with their three children, will soon live in a four-bedroom apartment with water views in the complex.
Eagle + Hodges, the interiors firm Eagle founded in 2016 with her former school friend Sophie Hodges, 43, designed the store. Nearly everything in it is for sale: Eagle's two clothing lines, fine jewelry, vintage home objects, books and magazines stocked near the ground-floor matcha bar. The furniture is no exception — a mix of made-to-order Eagle + Hodges pieces and works by 20th-century designers including Gabriella Crespi, George Nakashima and Donald Judd.
The ground-floor tile, a bespoke mix of Rosso Levanto and Botticino marble, takes inspiration from the floor at Villa Borsani in Varedo, Italy. Calshot, a British design outfit, made the ash bookshelf. Works by Irving Penn and Noémie Goudal hang on the walls.
Earlier this month, before London Fashion Week and ahead of the official opening, Eagle hosted a preview lunch for friends at the store. Workmen had finished installing lights and hanging art hours before guests arrived. "There's always an element of the unexpected, and we've learned to enjoy that," Eagle said.
Guests toured the space. Lily Hanbury, a founder of the shoe brand Le Monde Béryl, singled out the patterned marble floor in the entrance. Beverly Nguyen, a 36-year-old stylist and shop owner, said being there felt like "stepping into [Eagle's] world."
Everyone sat at one long table on leather Cab chairs by Mario Bellini in the events area. Reflecting on leaving Soho, Eagle said: "I've watched as this whole area has come alive. So what was potentially a daunting move now feels right."
The opening makes Eagle both tenant and author of 180 the Thames: her studio now anchors a hub whose residences, hotel and retail she shaped from the start.
Original: static01.nyt.com
Tom Whitfield
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Market editor covering industry trends and analytics at Arts & Voices.



