‘Distinctive, yet full of wit’
Sarah Turner meets the talented school of British designers that is making its mark on the world’s finest hotels
A new school of British designers is making its mark on hotels, both in Britain and further afield. These talented creatives come from backgrounds that encompass architecture, art and furniture design. Olga Polizzi, the doyenne of the group, says: “It’s like fashion, nothing comes back quite the same. The country house look has come back, but there’s a new twist to it.”
Common issues are being tackled in different ways, such as reducing waste, whether by using vintage and antique furniture or repurposing and restoration. Even in urban projects, there’s a new focus on crafts and local identity. These designers share a sense of fun too, just as British interior design did after the First World War when Sibyl Colefax and Nancy Lancaster exported the English country house look across the world.
“Good hotels are another universe that you can escape into,” says Luke Edward Hall, whose first hotel opened in Paris late last year. “People want an experience that feels authentic, not a bland international look.”
For Ciaran O’Brien, of Red Deer, which created the look of Birch in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, being authentic is also about respecting the past. “You don’t need to rewire and rip out finishes totally, just celebrate the repair,” he says.
All agree that the pandemic has changed the way we see our homes and the ways we will want to escape from them. Several, including Hall, Nicola Harding and Hannah Lohan, decided to move to the countryside after the first lockdown. Distinctive and thoughtful yet full of wit: it’s a golden age for British hotel design, even if every notion of bling has been firmly banished.
While studying menswear at Central St Martins, Luke Edward Hall sourced antiques. After graduation, he added illustration and journalism to his portfolio and has had previous collaborations with English National Opera, Habitat and fashion house Lanvin.
Les Deux Gares (hoteldeuxgares. com) is Hall’s first hotel, a 40-room boutique hotel in Paris. “I don’t want to be a slave to one era, so there’s French Empire furniture mixed with 1970s lighting,” he explains. “I loved working on this so much.” Above all,
there’s colour. “We really went for it with the rooms; there are no white walls anywhere,” he adds.
The gym has floral wallpaper and a chequerboard floor. Hall has provided furniture throughout, from mirrors to lamps and tables. “A hotel should be an escape, another universe [...] a fantastical experience,” he says.
He already has new projects in the pipeline. In March, Hall and his partner moved full-time to the Cotswolds. “I did worry that it would be a bit white cashmere,” he confesses, “but there are fun places and people, as well as amazing nature that’s so good for the creative process.”