The site is in central London’s Bloomsbury district and is being developed by local investor, SAV Group.
Townhouse conversion
With the property being Grade II-listed, the developer is working together with architects Studio Moren to create a high end hotel which uses its historic and architectural character to create unique and luxurious guest experiences.
The boutique townhouse hotel will result from a conversion of the three Georgian converted terraced houses on the site, which are currently in a state of some dilapidation.
Historic story
Plans call for a compact reception space, bar and lounge alongside a variety of standard, suite and accessible guestrooms.
Studio Moren is both architect and interior designer on the project, drawing on its skill for storytelling to inform the design. The firm will retain, restore and conserve the building, adding three modest closet wings to its rear to extend the accommodation.
The studio is using the stories of the households living in the property in 1911 as the foundation for the design, with decor paying homage to the former residents, allowing the building to tell the memories within it.
Reuse and modernise
Rachael Reid, senior interior designer, Studio Moren, said: “We are mindful of preserving history while creating a space that fits seamlessly into the modern world. Guests will feel as though they are peering through a looking glass at a piece of the past.”
Angela Franco, architect project lead, Studio Moren, commented: “It is so important in a dense, built-up city such as London to be able to reuse buildings and bring an area back to life. SAV Group specialises in taking existing buildings and bringing them up to modern standards, which makes working alongside them not only interesting, but rewarding.”
Preserving authenticity
Franco added: “In planning to revitalise this property we first assessed what was important, before arranging to remove what was not, while protecting and replacing historic features.
“Additional, functional elements fundamental to the workings of a modern hotel, such as en suite bathrooms, will be added in a juxtaposing lightweight, reversible design style, with the intention not to clash or detract from the original authenticity of the building, but to play with it and create something modern.”
London links
Studio Moren is also working on designing many other high end hotels in London, including a pair for developer, London Hotel Group: a 593-key site in Croydon on the outskirts of the capital which will rise from the demolition of three existing hotels – an Ibis Styles, Gilroy Court Hotel and Croydon Court Hotel; and a 373-room aparthotel in the south of the city for a 40,000 sq ft development that will occupy a vacant half-acre brownfield site, with completion scheduled for Q1 2025.
Furthermore, the firm is the architect of the Netherlands-headquartered City ID Group’s new central London hotel, the 116-key City ID London Victoria, which will arrive in Q1 2024.
