In the words of the new Lonely Planet guide to London, “the future belongs to the East” - which is music to the ears of all those who choose to live and play on the fringes of the City. An unlikely mix of finance and fun meets at the northern borders of the Square Mile, in Shoreditch and Hoxton, where the suits spill over into some of the capital's best bars and clubs. And, for a growing number of people, trekking back to West London or scouring Shoreditch High Street for a cab home to Islington is becoming a thing of the past.

Two curvaceous residential towers are part of the Bézier development on the southeast corner of Old Street roundabout. One block will be 14 storeys high, the other 16, and both will be shaped like hefty pine cones. Between them they will contain 155 homes, from studio flats and two-bedroom flats to penthouses with roof gardens, as well as shops on the ground floor, once completed in 2010.

The interiors in the two blocks will be a young banker's dream: clean lines are offset by contrasting surfaces, shiny kitchen worktops sit next to matt cupboards, and muted mushroom shades in the living areas contrast with the shiny black bathrooms. The living spaces in all the flats have a glass wall on one side, letting in light in the daytime and sparkling city views after dark. The lighting in the rooms is fun, with mood settings that can be programmed and are easy to control. Those who like to spend their evenings in bars such as Loungelover and Sketch will be keen on the style, which is similarly design-led and irreverent - but far less camp.

Close attention has been paid to practical comforts, with deep fitted wardrobes and underfloor heating. All flats have automated home control systems, so everything from heating and lighting to music and security can be controlled from your computer at work or from the control panel in the sitting room.

The towers back on to the Central Foundation Boys' School, a trust-funded secondary school. In a deal with the developer, Tudorvale, the school sold the land in return for the building of a new sports pitch with a retractable roof.

The development will also embrace other buildings adjacent to the site, including a further 45 shared-ownership apartments in a separate block off Leonard Street, at the rear.

Parking space is limited, but the development is less than a minute's walk from Old Street Tube station, from where the Northern Line takes you to Bank in three minutes and King's Cross St Pancras in five minutes. It would also be a five-minute walk to your office in Clerkenwell or Moorgate, ten minutes' walk to the Barbican or Liverpool Street, and less than half an hour's stroll to Bank. The location is excellent at the weekend, too, with Columbia Road and Spitalfields markets close by, along with the White Cube and the other Hoxton art galleries.

A private gym will be built for keeping in shape (although it may be underused with all that walking to work) and a shared roof garden will offer tanning opportunities for sun worshippers come summer. Two wind turbines, one on the roof of each tower, will provide 2 per cent of the energy used by the homes; another 10 per cent of renewable energy will be produced on-site through bio-mass boilers that use wood pellets.

The Bézier flats went on sale last month and 20 of the 45 homes launched have already been reserved. Construction work starts this month; prices will start at £345,000 for a studio apartment and rise to £3.5million for a two-bedroom penthouse. These prices are hardly cheap, but that will be little concern for a City hotshot who is prepared to pay whatever it takes to stay at the heart of the action.

Further details: DTZ Residential London, 020-7710 8037, www.bezierlondon.com

CLUB HOUSE

You work in the City, you play in Shoreditch but you're not quite ready to ditch your West London pad? A new members club The East Room, on Tabernacle Street, two minutes' walk from Bézier, could be the thing. It is ideally placed for those who need an East End home-from-home for after-work drinks. The latest venture from Jonathan Downey, the owner of Milk & Honey in Soho and New York, this bar is relaxed and stylish with edgy interiors, healthy food and a good wine list. From April it will be members only; fees start at £100 for women - and from £350 for men.

www.thstrm.com

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