South London estate agent KALMARs have launched Colorama, a striking new residential development providing 24 premium one, two and three-bedroom apartments, including penthouses, all available to let, on the corner of Webber Street and Rushworth Road in Borough, London.  The development is located on the site of the former Colorama Processing Laboratories which revolutionised the colour photographic printing industry.

Colorama is a new seven-storey building providing 2,200 square metres of commercial space on the lower levels and five storeys of unique residential apartments to let on the upper floors. Designed by award winning Alan Camp Architects in an architectural style that skilfully replicates an elegant Victorian warehouse building, Colorama has a striking red brick facade with large windows and covered balconies.  The design allows all tenants to benefit from views across London including The London Eye, The Shard and Canary Wharf.

Colorama was originally founded in the 1963 by Naresh Patel in Nairobi, Kenya. Naresh first came to London with a one-way ticket to study photography at the nearby London College of Printing. In 1973, having established a successful photographic printing business in Kenya, he returned to London with his family to start the same there.

Naresh and his brothers revolutionised the service in London by offering a 48-hour turnaround, when others could only manage a week to 10 days. They also increased the print size to 6X4″ and offered a free film every time you handed in one for printing.

The Colorama brand soon became a household name, with services offered throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Colorama prided itself on service and quality, a theme that has clearly been transferred to this ground-breaking development of superb apartments.

The new apartments at Colorama can be rented with or without furniture, and to demonstrate the quality there are four dressed show apartments which showcase the stylish furniture packages on offer.

The four dressed show apartments comprise apartment No.15 (a one bedroom apartment), No.8 (a one bedroom apartment with study), No.5 (a two bedroom apartment) and No.39 (a three bedroom penthouse). Each has the benefit of a private outside balcony and has been selected and dressed in order to show tenants the diverse range of homes available to let at Colorama.

The furniture’s style plays homage to the development’s bright and colourful history; bright colours and prints have been used throughout, with the open plan kitchen and living room, bedroom and study designed with statement blue and green furniture and sixties style cushions and wall prints.

Fully fitted Kitchens provide light grey matt graphite units and coral quartz worktops and mirrored splashbacks. Each kitchen also has a built-in oven and hob, Bosch integrated fridge freezer, under fridge and dishwasher. The bedrooms have been finished with soft Dolomite carpets and the principal bedrooms have been fitted with TV sockets.

Bathrooms and en-suite bathrooms offer enamelled double-ended bath tubs, thermostatically controlled rainfall showers and handheld shower heads, bespoke mirrored vanity unity and storage unit with feature lighting and heated towel rails. Every apartment has a workspace area within it, a secure bicycle storage area on the lower ground floor, and access to the communal open terrace.

Apartment sizes range from 565 sq ft for a one bed flat up to 1,238 sq ft for the large penthouse. Rents range from £420 a week up to £880 a week for the penthouse (which is already under offer).

Richard Kalmar, KALMARs chairman says: “The launch of Colorama designed by award winning Alan Camp Architects is perfect for inner city professional living.  Which is why 10 of the apartments are already under offer prior to the official launch day.  The space provides some of the highest specification homes built in Borough to date and we are delighted to be instructed by the owners who we have enjoyed working with for over 30 years. The scheme sets a new benchmark for quality in the market and KALMARs is not surprised by the overwhelming interest that we have generated for these stunning new homes.”

Francesca Harris, Residential Lettings Manager at KALMARs says: “Colorama provides discerning tenants an exceptional lettings opportunity in the heart of London. The apartments have been skilfully designed and finished, the bold colour schemes creatively paying homage to the site’s colourful past. The incorporation of one bed apartments with a dedicated separate study/home office is ideal for the current work environment where so many people are working full or part-time from home. Tenants can either rent their apartment unfurnished, providing them with a ‘blank canvas’, or they can take advantage of one of the contemporary furniture packages on offer and move into a turn-key home.”

Colorama is situated just moments from the Borough. Residents will be able to benefit from transport links from Southwark Station, Borough Station and Waterloo Station as well as a number of local bus routes. Borough Market, the Tate Modern, The Shard and Oxo Tower and just some of the local attractions within minutes of Colorama. They are also within walking distance of the City and West End, making central London really easy to get to.