The UK’s contested second city, and uncontested ‘Capital of the North’, Manchester is experiencing a period of roaring cultural growth. It’s little wonder therefore that the city with aspirations to become a truly global player is now home to Locke Hotels’ most ambitious project to date.
Set across three former export mills, Whitworth Locke features 160 studios and an assortment of capacious public areas that position the property as both aparthotel and community hub.
Matthew Grzywinski, of Grzywinski+Pons, led the overall design, which continues the group’s propensity for pastels and orderly, understated styling. In many ways Whitworth Locke is a story of colour and studios feature painted original brickwork in hues of salmon, with light wood floors and accents of green in neatly angular sofas.
The extensive co-working spaces on the ground floor, meanwhile, are more forceful in appearance, with walls of foliage and splashes of bright yellow – a nod to the worker bee, perhaps the most well-known symbol of the city.
One of the most defining elements is the grand glass atrium, which ensconces the lobby-cum-cocktail bar. Surprisingly, it’s an 1980s addition to the building, but so convincingly Victorian that it survived the renovation and now affords the sullen Manchester sky a permanent presence.
Also at ground level is neighbourhood coffeehouse, Foundation. Designed by local studio NoChintz, it’s the second location of a popular brand founded in the city’s Northern Quarter and, beyond espressos, provides a cultural programme of yoga classes and film nights for locals and long-stays alike.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
74 Princess Street
-
At The Lavery, Anglo-Italian cooking caters to London’s design obsessiveThe former residence of Irish painter Sir John Lavery now houses an elegant restaurant where Georgian classicism meets 20th-century design favourites
-
A buzzy Korean pop-up becomes a permanent fixture in East LondonChef Joo Won has turned his Calong pop-up permanent in the arty enclave of Stoke Newington
-
New London restaurant Alba is a sun-soaked affairIts name meaning ‘sunrise’ in Italian, Alba is a new Amalfi-inspired restaurant set to shine in Knightsbridge
-
Now boarding Air Anya: Anya Hindmarch’s ode to aviation’s golden ageAnya Hindmarch’s new London concept store and travel accessories collection celebrate the glamour of 1970s air travel
-
La Môme London finds its home at The Berkeley hotelAll the razzle-dazzle of Cannes and Monte Carlo is wrapped up in this one fabulous dining room and terrace in London
-
The new dawn of the London sandwich shopThe appeal of a quick meal between two slices of bread has long held sway in the UK. We look back on the rise of the sandwich shop and explore the new wave of London venues that are making it a more stylised experience
-
Must-visit cinemas with award-worthy designThere’s more magic to the movies at these design-led cinemas, from Busan Cinema Centre’s ‘flying’ roof to The Gem Cinema Jaipur’s art deco allure
-
London's coolest design-led coffee shops for your Fashion Week fixCoffee shops are the heart of London’s neighbourhoods, discover those fusing speciality beans and stylish interiors for the perfect brew
