Saturday 10 January 2009

An Original Idea - The Rough Luxe Hotel

My uncle Geoff sent me a link not too long ago with a single line - Here's something different by way of interior design. Well, I have to agree with his line. The Rough Luxe Hotel in London is completely different from what I have seen lately in the design world. After reading the latest entry from Colour me Happy titled "Glamorous Hotels in London", I thought this would be an interesting juxtaposition. Both styles are beautiful in their own way and both are high-end London hotels.


Lobby at The Rough Luxe Hotel
Photograph: Marcus Peel

The controversial concept of this hotel is to rescue the original patina of time that existed in the history of the building mixing it in a very sophisticated way. Old finishes, new finishes, distinctive furnishings, and great photography are the elements that create an innovative space where style and originality surpasses the traditional concept of design.

With this project you cannot help but talk about breaking the rules in design, in my humble opinion this concept brings reality and history together. This project is pure Urban Archeology .

In my career as a designer I have often encountered walls that are showing their age with the wear and tear of layers of wall papers against plaster with several faded colours showing through. But unfortunately, I never had the thought to leave them there. Part of myself said that is kind of cool - that is the history of the place, and perhaps I even tried to visualize how the previous owners used to live there. The talented Beirut-born designer and gallery owner Rabih Hage,
and his sensibility in design saw precisely that in the space and he deliberately left some walls half-finished to create something new with something old.
Rabih Hage's keen eye brought contemporary touches, such as the photograph of Gilbert and George in the lobby by Jonathan Root, adding the 'luxe' element to the 'rough'

If there is a 101 lesson here it is not to be afraid of mixing textures - trust me, the result will be elegant and unique.


Photograph: Marcus Peel


Photograph: Marcus Peel


Photograph: Marcus Peel


Photograph: Marcus Peel


Photograph: Marcus Peel




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4 comments:

christian barnard land studio said...

Half rough half luxury.....the boutique hotel scene in London is so cool.

Michelle said...

ooo..that bathtub is amazing...where's the scrub brush?

great images!

qerat said...

Brillaint design.
Hage is one of my favorite designers. His work has this timeless appeal and prefection that is very real and unpretentious.

Anonymous said...

I think this is such a beautiful concept aesthetically.