Eclectic design meets Soho

Ham Yard is home to hotel, courtyard, mini-urban village of boutiques in London

London’s Ham Yard Hotel is built on the spot where an 18th-century public house called The Ham used to stand.

The area, later called Ham Yard, has served different purposes over the centuries: tavern, event space, nightclub and live music hub (where bands such as the Who and the Rolling Stones played), and has been a draw for photographers, filmmakers, writers and artists of all stripes.

Now home to designer hotel mavens Tim and Kit Kemp’s newest property, Ham Yard, the space houses not just a hotel but a mini urban village of 13 boutique stores, enclosing an intimate courtyard. Price: From about $750 per room, per night. Location: Ham Yard sits smack in the middle of Soho, a lively neigh- bourhood known equally (these days) for its West End theatres as its sex shops.

It’s steps from Piccadilly Circus, where you can hop on the tube and go anywhere in the city. Or you needn’t leave at all: the hotel has its own cinema and bowling alley. Dining: Ham Yard Bar & Restaurant should be in your dinner plans when you stay at the hotel. Just like the rest of the hotel’s distinctively Kit Kemp-designed interiors, colour and texture are king, and sumptuous fabriclined walls set the mood for a rich and enjoyable meal.

Ask your server for the restaurant’s daily specials, as fresh British produce is highlighted. Don’t miss the creative cocktail list: the Black Margarita is sinfully good with thymeinfused Tequila and homemade blackberry purée, rimmed with black salt. Comfort and design: Ham Yard’s defining characteristic is its madeto-look-handcrafted interiors inspired by designer Kit Kemp’s travels. From the ribbed glass and alabaster chandeliers from India to three driftwood crocodiles in the basement cinema, Kemp says it’s all “completely bonkers, but perfect.” Service: You can expect to get the five-star treatment, with consistent attention to detail and courtesy, delivered with a blend-into-the-background approach. Downside: If loud colours, textures and tradition-bucking design choices aren’t your cup of tea, this isn’t the spot for you. The hotel may need a bit more time to grow into its personality, but in a neighbourhood like Soho, that shouldn’t take too long. Nicola Brown was a guest of Ham Yard Hotel, which didn’t review or approve the story.

HAM YARD PHOTOS If you can’t pick just one light fixture, pick them all. And if you can’t pick just one spot to relax with a drink, Ham Yard Hotel has a huge range of gathering spaces, from a light-filled conservatory to a moody bar and lounge.

Ham Yard Hotel’s rooftop houses a garden that produces ingredients for its restaurant. The rooftop is partly covered, so you can hang out through the infamous London drizzle.

If the quirky decor doesn’t set Ham Yard Hotel apart, then the basement bowling alley sure does. There’s also a cinema on site for when you’re all bowled out.

Ham Yard Hotel’s library, tucked cosily alongside the reception area, is full of individually curated books that range from Charles Dickens and Jeremy Paxman to veritable tomes such as The Geometry of Pasta.