A design-led build-to-rent scheme in Leeds

A new residential district in central Leeds

Forming part of a wider regeneration initiative in central Leeds, Legal and General has built the build-to-rent development Mustard Wharf, located just a short walk away from the city’s train station and right next the quiet canal. The three apartment buildings contribute to a vibrant new quarter and targets urban renters with its design-led interiors. “There was a real hole in the urban fabric. It's been good to see it filled”, says Andrew Lister, co-founder of Lister+Lister. The studio developed the interiors scheme for the 218 flats and impressive amenity spaces, which include an impressive atrium for mingling and co-working, a private dining room and two roof gardens.

"Not many people shared the ambition L&G and we had – Clippings did. You said: 'Let's do it'"
Andrew Lister, director and co-founder of Lister + Lister

Inspired by the historic industrial architecture of the city, the studio devised an interior concept defined by dark colours and contemporary furniture pieces, creating inviting spaces and flats with personality. The scheme balances clean lines with soft textures that make the interior feel cosy and fresh at once. 

“The development is spread across 3 buildings, maintaining the scale of the surrounding area”, Andrew points out. “Most of the amenity spaces are located in one block, so it was important that our design would draw residents from the two other buildings into that central space.”

Working with Clippings made a high-end furniture scheme possible

Andrew had ordered furniture from Clippings for smaller retail projects before. For Mustard Wharf, his studio saw an advantage in using Clippings’ established partnerships with leading furniture producers in Europe. This enabled them to come up with an FF&E package comprising high-quality, long-lasting designs that would do the ambition and target clientele of the development justice. 

“When defining the furniture options, we wanted to push the envelope of what you can get with the set budget. When we brought this up with Clippings, they said: ‘yeah, let's do it.’ That was quite a defining moment. Not many people shared the ambition L&G and ourselves had – Clippings did.“

Lister+Lister could rely on the excellent relationships Clippings has built with its partner brands. ’“The dynamic between yourselves and the manufacturers allowed conversations to start and flower, which allowed us to get some pretty fantastic furniture, like a Hay sofa, in a rental block. That was pretty incredible”, says Andrew.

Getting the specification on point

Andrew’s team worked with Clippings to stay within budget and develop the specification in detail. Brands used in the amenity spaces and flats include premium manufacturers like Hem, Hay, Muuto, Menu, Gubi, &Tradition and Resident. 

“Clippings having such strong relationships with different manufacturers was great. I really felt like we were speaking to people who could make decisions. They came back to us saying: ‘You know, we can make packaging more efficient to ship more product in the same sized box.’ Your relationships with people were key for us.”

Clippings managed all post-order comms and installation

Once the order was placed, the Clippings projects managers handled all communications with the suppliers and kept an eye on production delays, saving Lister + Lister time and hassle. 

All parcels and pallets from the suppliers arrived at the Clippings warehouse. Due to the pandemic and lockdown, the completion of the site ran behind, but Clippings organised storage for all products until works on the buildings had finished. 

Once the site was ready, our project manager Inga travelled to Leeds to oversee the unpacking and installation.

“Clippings came to the table with some great products for the budget”, says Andrew.  “But then you also organise everything, from delivery to taking the rubbish away once the installation has completed.”

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Images: Lister + Lister / Legal & General. Images 2,6,7,8 shot by Paul Karalius