Residing in the shadow of London’s tourist-trodden Covent Garden piazza is the perfectly appointed Henrietta Hotel. Conceived by the Experimental Group – the quartet of Frenchmen who most famously brought us the Experimental Cocktail Club in London, Paris and New York – the intimate 18-room hotel is located within an elegant townhouse, accompanied by an unmarked entryway.
Inside, the building’s architecture has been accentuated with individual design features conceived by designer Dorothée Meilichzon, the group’s regular collaborator. Inspired by the hodgepodge of different roof shapes and window details on Henrietta Street, Meilichzon has used a number of recurring elements that give each room a unique flair.
Brass bedside lighting, 70s-style brushed aluminium armchairs, terrazzo patterned carpets, handmade headboards that resemble Milanese door frames and a generous amount of mirrored surfaces all work together to create a sophisticated, yet lively effect. Bathrooms with pastel pink walls, hand-painted gold signage and black and white octagonal floor tiles are an especially alluring highlight.
As one would expect, the hotel’s showpiece is undoubtedly its two-storey restaurant, The Henrietta, which features a menu conceived by Ollie Dabbous. Replete with glass roofs, oak flooring and Charlotte Perriand-inspired modular tables, the restaurant’s dishes take a simple approach to seasonal ingredients and are matched by an exceptional cocktail menu to boot.
