Taking up residence inside architect Ian Simpson’s One Blackfriars building in London’s Southwark, Bankside Hotel is a well-appointed bolthole in one of the city’s most buzzing enclaves.
Interiors, by Dayna Lee of Los Angeles design agency Powerstrip Studio, feature midcentury-style bespoke furnishings, standout pieces like the leather and metal rocking horse by Italy and Singapore-based outfit Lanzavecchia + Wai, and artworks by British craftspeople that reference the locality. Ceramicist Laura Carlin has created two wall murals comprised of tiles depicting life on the South Bank, where the Tate Modern, The British Film Institute and Borough Market are all noteworthy neighbours of the new hotel.
A series of side tables by London-based Malgorzata Bany are cast from Jesmonite, and based on the designer’s Pilotis Range – a collection inspired by the architectural columns used historically to raise buildings above ground or water, much like those seen adjacent to Blackfriars Bridge today.
As well as 161-serenely decorated rooms, Bankside will also house a library-cum-cocktail lounge and a bar-restaurant serving seasonal food in a dramatic, artful setting.§
