The Qbic London City Hotel represents a step change in the world of hospitality. Each of the 171 guest rooms are dominated by a pod-like structure, the Cubi, which partially encloses the bed and also integrates a stylish bathroom component. The genius idea of the Cubi is that it can be 'inserted' into former office buildings, giving them and their neighbourhoods a new lease of life. Following the launch of the first property at Schipol airport five years ago, this version is smaller, with each Cubi featuring integrated TVs and changeable mood lighting. Tim Mutton of Clerkenwell-based agency Blacksheep is the mastermind behind the handcrafted interiors, featuring a flexible continuum of dining, living and working areas furnished with flamboyant colour contrasts and a clash of patterns. An open fireplace is surrounded by an assortment of refurbished Scandinavian furnishings, while lamps and seating are fashioned from a re-purposed garden hose by non-conformist Rotterdam designer Sander Bokkinga. The hotel also offers rent-free space in its basement to creative start-ups and there is a well-lit staircase for use as an artistic exhibition space. Such unconventionality tallies with the fundamentally different concept behind Qbic.
ADDRESS
42 Adler Street
London
-
Beloved British screenwriter Dennis Potter inspires an exhibition with a difference at Studio VoltaireHilary Lloyd's multi-faceted exhibition at Studio Voltaire considers Dennis Potter's life and work, from much-loved TV classics to power inequalities
-
Insert here: London Design Festival gets intimate with insertable designAt London Design Festival, Heirloom Studio showcases 36 objects – some life-saving, some pleasure-giving, all made to go inside the body
-
Postcard from Helsinki Design Week 2025Helsinki Design Week turns 20 this year. Celebrating two decades of design, core themes of this year revolve around happiness and optimism: here are design critic Hugo Macdonald's ten highlights
-
Carmela’s joins London’s pizza renaissanceA Little Italy-inspired pizzeria lands in Islington with 13-inch pies, pepperoni heat and big flavour energy
-
Has the ice cream parlour come of age?A global wave of architecture studios is treating the scoop as spectacle, turning parlours into immersive social spaces
-
Legado brings a bold Spanish legacy to ShoreditchMichelin-starred chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho’s second venture marries design-led interiors with regional Spanish flavours rarely found in London
-
The Macbeth, an icon of indie sleaze, goes from grotty to gastroAn East End legend meets Portuguese small plates in Jamie Allan’s ambitious revival of a beloved Hackney watering hole
-
A complete collection of Phaidon’s ‘Contemporary Artists Series’ is on display in LondonA 30-year project reaching 100 volumes is being celebrated with an exhibition at the 45 Park Lane hotel, including limited-edition works by Kaws and Dana Schutz
-
London’s best pizza restaurant gets a new home in MayfairSecure a slice of New York-style pizza in central London as Crisp Pizza teams up with the Devonshire pub to set up shop in the relaunched The Marlborough
-
At this east London listening bar, mezcal-fuelled cocktails hit as hard as the basslinesIn Bethnal Green, Little Fires pairs vinyl grooves with mezcal margaritas and Oaxacan sharing plates
-
Harry Nuriev’s Noisy Oyster London bistro isn’t quite finished – and that’s the pointA futuristic, work-in-progress aesthetic forms a striking backdrop for a new, sustainably focused seafood bistro in Shoreditch
