A former public toilet might not sound like the most enticing backstory for a boutique hotel, but bear with us. Located in the central reservation of Oxford’s busy St Giles, a set of black railings marks the discreet entrance to The Netty (slang for toilet in North East England), two subterranean hotel suites that make an art form out of adaptive reuse.
Tour The Netty, Oxford
The stay begins with a touch of theatre: a descent down a stairwell with tumbling ivy, chequered tiles and a bright red door. Inside the rooms, glass-block windows – remnants of the 1895 public conveniences – filter daylight from the pavement above, creating shifting patterns of light. ‘You have to give people a reason to want to sleep below street level,’ says interior designer Rachael Gowdridge. ‘The drama, texture and detail do exactly that.’
Inside, Gowdridge – whose portfolio includes The Hoxton Hotels and Gleneagles – has created richly layered interiors that make the most of the compact scale. Each suite measures just 22 square metres, with an open-plan shower extending directly from the bedroom, giving the space a feeling of cosiness rather than constraint. Prints and patterns play against glossy ceilings and textured wall finishes, while reflective surfaces maximise depth and atmosphere. ‘Designing something on such a small footprint pushes you to be more intentional,’ Gowdridge explains. ‘Every detail had to earn its place, but that constraint also gave us the freedom to be bold and expressive in ways that larger spaces sometimes don’t allow.’
The design blends crisp, new finishes with vintage furniture and found artworks, chosen both for their individual histories and for their links to Oxford. ‘There’s something deeply satisfying about turning a place people once hurried past into somewhere they now want to linger,’ Gowdridge notes. ‘We wanted The Netty to feel rooted in Oxford’s past, but also full of humour, softness and surprise.’
That spirit comes through in a host of custom details. Bespoke bathroom tiles are patterned from a 19th-century lithograph of the ancient yew trees in the walled garden of the nearby Botanic Garden. Behind the headboards, woven tapestries introduce tactility and colour, while delicate cast plaster motifs nod to the Ashmolean’s decorative arts collection. The result is a setting where Oxford’s cultural layers are embedded in the very fabric of the rooms.
The site had been shuttered for 17 years before its reinvention, and it remains one of the city’s most unexpected hospitality offerings. Much of its distinctiveness comes from the clients’ willingness to embrace eccentricity. ‘The clients came to us with a gem of an idea and total trust in the process,’ says Gowdridge. ‘It’s rare to have clients who want to celebrate history, play with humour and commit to such rich detailing all at once.’
That sense of playfulness runs throughout. ‘It’s probably the first time I’ve designed a hotel room around a toilet, but that’s what made it so much fun,’ Gowdridge reflects. ‘There’s a tongue-in-cheek energy to The Netty, but it’s also a genuinely beautiful space.’
The Netty is located at 1A St. Giles, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3JS, United Kingdom.
-
Nela is London's new stage for open-fire gastronomyA beloved Amsterdam import brings live-fire elegance to The Whiteley’s grand revival
-
How we host: with Our Place founder, Shiza ShahidWelcome, come on in, and take a seat at Wallpaper*s new series 'How we host' where we dissect the art of entertaining. Here, we speak to Our Place founder Shiza Shahid on what makes the perfect dinner party, from sourcing food in to perfecting the guest list, and yes, Michelle Obama is invited
-
Matteo Thun carves a masterful thermal retreat into the Canadian RockiesBasin Glacial Waters, a project two decades in the making, finally surfaces at Lake Louise, blurring the boundaries between architecture and terrain
-
Nela is London's new stage for open-fire gastronomy
A beloved Amsterdam import brings live-fire elegance to The Whiteley’s grand revival
-
New London restaurant Lagana drizzles Shoreditch with extra olive oilPachamama Group’s latest spot turns the namesake Greek bread into a philosophy, pairing childlike creativity with generous, unfussy cooking
-
Tobi Masa lands at The Chancery RosewoodChef Masa Takayama’s debut London restaurant transforms modernist geometry into a space of ritual calm and culinary purity
-
London’s smash burger obsession goes haute with Supernova MayfairNew York designer Sarita Posada taps into 1970s nostalgia and cinematic restraint for the group’s third outpost in the British capital
-
Peek inside Uchronia’s celadon green suite at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde ParkThe Paris-based studio teamed up with Pantone to transform a suite at the storied hotel into an aquatic dreamscape. Here’s how to check in
-
The Chancery Rosewood: A new chapter for London’s modernist iconAfter years behind closed doors, London’s most anticipated hotel opening finally arrives, proving that some things are worth waiting for
-
The Hart Marylebone marks the next chapter in London’s design-led pubsThe trio behind The Pelican and The Hero turn to Marylebone, fusing Victoriana, intimacy and culinary honesty in their most ambitious project yet
-
This 100-year-old private members’ club in London feels young at heartThe Sloane Club unveils a stylish new rebrand and redesign courtesy of Russell Sage Studio
