Worthington's room with a view

Charles Worthington insists that popping out for a pint of milk from his high-rise Thames-side home in Battersea is no more inconvenient than doing so from a more conventional house. The same goes for taking his beloved American cocker spaniel, Baxter, for a walk. 'From here, everything looks far away, but it's psychological. The lift is so fast, I'm on the ground floor in 30 seconds.' A Tardis with floor-to-ceiling glass on three sides, the lift is a no-go zone for vertigo sufferers. As is Montevetro, the building it zooms up - a largely transparent edifice designed by Richard Rogers.

Thankfully, Worthington, who lives on the 16th floor, isn't scared of heights, and finds the vertiginous view, that takes in Battersea Power Station, the London Eye, Canary Wharf and Albert Bridge, 'energising'. All the windows have metal blinds but he only lowers them on very sunny days if there's too much glare. 'I get up at five, but it's a real pleasure. London's lights are on, and the traffic is already stirring. You don't feel like this lone person getting ready for work,' says the celebrity hairstylist, whose frantic schedule encompasses two or three appearances a week on This Morning and regular trips to New York, where he has a penthouse adjoining his salon, Atelier. He gets a buzz from the fact that the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room and bedroom are cantilevered, creating the illusion that the apartment floats precariously over the river. 'When the tide's changing, the Thames flows really fast. It almost feels like the building is moving.' He often holds parties - his last big bash (for 80 guests) was on Guy Fawkes' Night - but isn't fazed by people leaning against the windows. 'I've been assured they're unbreakable.' (They're made of 12mm-thick toughened glass.) The apartment also has a west-facing balcony, with timber decking, bamboo plants and vanilla-coloured Philippe Starck chairs. 'You see amazing sunsets,' says Worthington. 'I like the way you can spot changes in the weather before anyone else.'

He previously lived in a traditional terraced house in Notting Hill, but decided, a year ago, to move to somewhere more 'contemporary', somewhere less impractical. 'Because I travel so much, I was forever lugging suitcases up and down stairs. It always put me in a grumpy mood.' It didn't take him long to find a new home: 'I'm a great admirer of Richard Rogers' work, and thought this apartment was really well designed. I love the way the external metal structure is grey so it blends into the background. I also like the apartment's almost circular layout, which makes the rooms connect fluidly.' The sense of luxury is accentuated by the sight, from up high, of helicopters swooping into Battersea's heliport.

'I love Chelsea,' continues Worthington. 'I know this is Battersea, but it's so close. My memories of coming to London, from York, are of heading straight for the King's Road.'

The Montevetro flat was a shell when he bought it. He furnished it sparingly, using some belongings which 'transferred well' from his Notting Hill house. One piece that travelled with him is a refectory table he bought in St Tropez, where he often goes on holiday, and which he had bleached to give the texture of driftwood. It's surprising - given his immaculate, virtually all-white home - that he likes furniture with a patina. There's a coffee table with a zinc top, on which there is a ring created by an ice bucket - 'It needs more stains to look properly distressed, though.' In the huge hallway, vases contain gnarled old oyster-catching sticks from Notting Hill homewares shop David Champion.

But Worthington is ultimately a devotee of low-maintenance practicality. His white cotton sofa covers - and Baxter's dog basket - are washable. His kitchen has two easily movable tables on castors from The Conran Shop and an aluminium shelving unit from local shop The Holding Company. 'I cook a lot and like to be able to grab pots easily without having to search for them in cupboards.'

All the same, he stresses that he doesn't like his home to look too clinical. 'It's not an excess of white that makes a place look cold,' he insists. 'It's the lighting you use. With all the white walls here, you couldn't possibly have harsh lighting. At night, I use candles. But you have to be careful not to have too many, otherwise you get reflections on the glass. The dimmer they are, the more your eye is drawn to the view outside.'