London’s ancient guilds may no longer be the powerful mercantile bodies they were once, but their influence continues to be felt in the British capital in unexpected ways.
Set between the 14th-century Vintry and Mercer guild halls, the newly minted Vintry & Mercer hotel effortlessly parses a new eight-storey build against the quarter’s old world patina and trade in wines and fabrics, and the looming bulk of the Shard.
Appropriately, Dexter Moran Associates have dressed the 92 rooms and public spaces in fine silk, textiles and leather, old trading maps and ceramic tiles, whilst subtly referencing the vast pastures that once surrounded the area with indoor plants and green hues. Warmer days will lure guests upstairs to the roof terrace’s charcoal oven, infused spirits, a farm-to-plate menu, and captivating views of St Paul’s Cathedral and the Southbank.
As evening falls, a retreat to Do Not Disturb, a subterranean speakeasy that takes its visual cues from 1920s New York, is entirely appropriate.
1,500: Length in metres of the Designers Guild’s Varese velvet fabric used for guest room curtains, headboards and valances
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
19-20 Garlick Hill
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico -
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland -
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia -
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico -
Littlenap — Hangzhou, China -
Casa Santa Teresa — Corsica, France -
Swedish studio Claesson Koivisto Rune designs K5, a new hotel in TokyoStep inside Claesson Koivisto Rune’s design as a 1920s bank turns hotel
