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| Picture courtesy of The Corinthia Hotel, London |
I'm very taken with this room. It's the Northall restaurant at the new Corinthia Hotel, which is set within London's Whitehall Palace. This seat-of-power location sets the tone for the design throughout the hotel (by GA Design) which is restrained and masculine - something I like very much in this instance. It mixes thirties and contemporary styles, with lots of subtle nods to Modernism.
In the Northall itself, I love the glittering mix of glass and mirrors and the lofty proportions. But this grandiosity is tempered by the subtle palette of crisp greys and whites and the tan leather armchairs and banquettes that (rightly) dominate the room. These seats are Mid-Century Modern-style re-workings of leather club chairs and chesterfield sofas - both perennial favourites with the chaps. My favourite details are the wheel-like brass pendant lights. The overall effect is classic and smart but, crucially, comfortable and comforting - perhaps designed to re-assure its well-heeled clientele that life goes on, despite evidence to the contrary elsewhere in Whitehall.
Alfred Pisani, chairman of the nine-strong Corinthia hotels group calls the hotel a 'contemporary interpretation of the scale and style of a Grand Hotel... It means surrounding [the guests] with materials, chosen for their quiet quality and avoiding purposeless display.' It reminds me of a man in a superbly cut grey suit, impeccable white shirt and classic tan brogues. It's the Cary Grant of rooms.
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| Cary Grant, suit by Kilgour, in the very stylish Hitchcock thriller, North by Northwest |
