Ember Locke promises stays with a location-inspired splash of colour
Ember Locke, the lifestyle hospitality brand's sixth location in London, launches in Kensington and Chelsea in a splash of colour

Ember Locke is the luxury hospitality brand's sixth London outpost – and its most eye-catching yet. In west London’s high-end Kensington and Chelsea neighbourhood, the glamorous aparthotel company that redefines its genre has delivered standout interiors, spread across eight floors on the historic Cromwell Road.
The brand, whose past launches include Munich's WunderLocke aparthotel by Holloway Li and Buckle Street Studios in east London by New York City architecture studio Grzywinski+Pons, has established itself in a key position in its field, blending flexible services and a warm, domestic interior with a design-led approach to luxury hospitality.
Ember Locke: inspiration and creativity
Ember Locke was designed by creative and interior design studios Atelier Ochre and House of Dré. The collaborators drew inspiration from the local area (as do all the Locke venues), in particular the Kensington Roof Gardens and the 'laissez-faire flamboyance' of the iconic midcentury fashion brand Biba, which was created in Kensington.
The result is a wonderfully colourful interior that blends bold tones of red, orange and pink in a composition that feels at once sensual and cocooning. Meanwhile, the furniture populating the space blends art deco styles and 21st-century retro-futurism.
'We’re very excited to be opening our first property in west London, in an ideal neighbourhood for Locke. This part of west London has long captured the attention of leisure and business travellers alike – you have some of the city’s best museums and shopping locations on your doorstep and in the last few years the area has had a real spotlight on it, with some of the best restaurants in London opening here. With the buzzing neighbourhood of Notting Hill close by and tranquil Hyde Park moments away, we are excited for Ember Locke to open its doors for guests,' said Eric Jafari, chief development officer and creative director at Locke.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Put these emerging artists on your radar
This crop of six new talents is poised to shake up the art world. Get to know them now
By Tianna Williams
-
Dining at Pyrá feels like a Mediterranean kiss on both cheeks
Designed by House of Dré, this Lonsdale Road addition dishes up an enticing fusion of Greek and Spanish cooking
By Sofia de la Cruz
-
Creased, crumpled: S/S 2025 menswear is about clothes that have ‘lived a life’
The S/S 2025 menswear collections see designers embrace the creased and the crumpled, conjuring a mood of laidback languor that ran through the season – captured here by photographer Steve Harnacke and stylist Nicola Neri for Wallpaper*
By Jack Moss
-
Dining at Pyrá feels like a Mediterranean kiss on both cheeks
Designed by House of Dré, this Lonsdale Road addition dishes up an enticing fusion of Greek and Spanish cooking
By Sofia de la Cruz
-
London restaurant Tatar Bunar puts Ukrainian heritage front and centre
Family recipes and contemporary design merge at this new east London restaurant by Ukrainian restaurateurs Anna Andriienko and Alex Cooper
By Ben McCormack
-
Corner Corner may be London's most unique entertainment destination yet
The newly-opened venue combines food, jazz and—yes—urban farming beneath one sprawling roof
By Sofia de la Cruz
-
For a taste of Greece, head to this playful new restaurant in London’s Chelsea
Pachamama Group’s latest venture, Bottarga, dishes up taverna flavours in an edgy bistro-style setting
By Sofia de la Cruz
-
A buzzy Korean pop-up becomes a permanent fixture in East London
Chef Joo Won has turned his Calong pop-up permanent in the arty enclave of Stoke Newington
By Ben McCormack
-
New London restaurant Alba is a sun-soaked affair
Its name meaning ‘sunrise’ in Italian, Alba is a new Amalfi-inspired restaurant set to shine in Knightsbridge
By Sofia de la Cruz
-
Now boarding Air Anya: Anya Hindmarch’s ode to aviation’s golden age
Anya Hindmarch’s new London concept store and travel accessories collection celebrate the glamour of 1970s air travel
By Sofia de la Cruz
-
‘A place for carnivores’ – Ibai is a London restaurant that celebrates Basque Country beef
A Clerkenwell restaurant where unhurried steak is the star of the show
By Lisa Wright