Bright Activity

With its good reputation for cutting-edge fashion, architecture as well as art, it’s no surprise London is home to a lot of the funkiest design-led hotels on earth. The following is our own choice of the top 5 London hotels where the surroundings have proven to be as remarkable as the service

Sanderson

A hidden diamond in the West End, the Sanderson London hotel’s an amazing mixture of surreal, classy and refined. Where else would you find Salvador Dali’s legendary red lips couch together with classic 1960s mosaics and hand-crafted African furniture? The 1950s building that contains the 5-star hotel was transformed into a impressive, dreamlike environment by well-known French designer Philippe Starck. An additional design highlight is Philip Hicks’ open-air Courtyard Garden, an exclusive area bursting with lush plant life, fountains, mosaics and a reflecting pool.

Charlotte Street Hotel

A night at the delightful Charlotte Street Hotel London, found just north of Soho, is really a must for literary and artistic sorts visiting London. Motivated by the legendary ‘Bloomsbury set’, a 20th century group of artists and writers that included Virginia Woolf, interior designer Kit Kemp has introduced unique artwork from the group’s very own illustrious artists: Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant and Roger Fry. Their fascination with Matisse and other vivid French painters meanwhile forms the foundation for the drawing rooms, while the artistic style carries on inside the brasserie with a mural of contemporary London life.

The Zetter

In a previous life, this classy boutique hotel in east London would have been a Victorian warehouse. Refurbished by restaurateurs Michael Benyan and Mark Sainsbury, The Zetter opened up in 2004 to instant acclaim and was voted one of the world’s 50 coolest hotels by Cond© Nast Traveller. Each one of the London hotel’s 59 rooms ” including the plush roof-top pad ” is individually designed using an assortment of vintage and modern. The attention to detail and design persists through the entire hotel and into the adjoining Bistrot Bruno Loubet and Atrium Bar.

St Martin’s Lane

Taking encouragement from the theatrical surroundings, St Martins Lane hotel is a extraordinary addition to London’s West End. Found in Covent Garden, the snappy design brings together the modern and baroque with a playful sense of humour. From the extra-large luminescent yellow-glass revolving doors to the jam-packed art columns of the Asia de Cuba restaurant, there is a lot of eye candy to feast upon. While for those who desire to communicate their creativity, most of the London hotel’s rooms include a unique light installation with a colour to reflect your every mood.

The Mandeville

Located in London’s popular Marylebone Village, The Mandeville Hotel recently underwent a £15million refurbishment. Interior designer Stephen Ryan has given the London hotel’s public areas an innovative, modern day twist with French upholstered walling, Venetian masks, witty paintings and neon lighting. Meanwhile in the bedrooms, the marriage of traditional and modern proceeds with luxurious fabrics from top design houses such as Canovas, Zubor Catherine Huntley and Brunswick.

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