When the Hotel Russell opened in 1898, it fast became the talk of town for its grand terracotta façade. In recent years, the Grade II-listed property has been in a sad state of decline, but happily, it has just emerged from a lavish overhaul of its interiors.
Designers Tara Bernerd and Russell Sage have modernised the 334-room hotel, now renamed The Principal, with a dose of creamy drapery, tufted fabric, and artwork that is meant to evoke the neighbourhood’s Bloomsbury artistic and literary heritage.
The restored Palm Court is once more a light-washed aerie, while chef Brett Redman’s perch in Neptune restaurant sports a raw bar, and an aquatic menu speckled with Exmoor caviar, Isle of Mull scallops, and cured chalk stream trout served with mole-spiced beetroot.
ADDRESS
1-8 Russell Square
-
Seven up in an ID.Buzz – Volkswagen’s latest all-electric MPV deserves a brighter futureWe see if the VW ID.Buzz is cut out for everyday life by taking a road trip in Volkswagen’s newly extended electric micro-bus
-
Vestre’s neo-brutalist furniture will bring ‘a little madness’ to Paris Fashion WeekBound for Paris Men’s Fashion Week this month, Norwegian furniture brand Vestre reveals a sculptural bench and mirror created with designer Vincent Laine and fashion creative Willy Cartier – the latest outcome of its risk-taking ‘a little madness’ initiative
-
For its latest runway show, Zegna creates a serene oasis in DubaiThe Italian fashion house took over the Dubai Opera for a S/S 2026 show that proposed a lived-in elegance, drawing inspiration from Dubai’s sunbaked landscapes and Zegna’s birthplace of Trivero
-
Time-travel to the golden age of the cruise ship at Sea Containers LondonThe South Bank hotel celebrates its tenth anniversary with four new suites inspired by period cabin design, from Edwardian elegance to 1980s glamour
-
Twin Peaks’ Double R Diner is coming to London (for a day)Mubi marks Twin Peaks’ 35th anniversary with pop-up diner and streaming release
-
Ukrainian restaurant Sino adds to London's diverse food culture with warming traditions that feel familiar yet newPronounced see-no, the new Ukrainian restaurant in Notting Hill, by Polina Sychova and chef Eugene Korolev, is built on the intimate relationship between people and nature – offering beauty in simplicity
-
Art, pasta and maritozzi: this is Locatelli at the National GalleryChef Giorgio Locatelli is the National Gallery’s new Italian master with the latest chapter of his beloved London restaurant
-
A local’s guide to London – Climax Books founder Isabella Burley’s favourite hauntsCreative consultant Isabella Burley credits growing up in the English capital with shaping who she is today. She takes us on a tour of some significant spots
-
This new London restaurant is a Greek island idyll on a plateMyrtos by Asimakis is a flavoursome ode to Kefalonia, conceptualised by Vernon Viljoen and Block1:Design
-
Late-night spring shopping comes to London’s Chiltern StreetOn Thursday 22 May, those in London can enjoy the Chiltern Street Spring Shopping Evening, including a programme of in-store drinks, offers and workshops
-
Fin-to-gill sophistication awaits at Tom Brown at The CapitalExpect ambitious cooking from the country’s most creative seafood chef
