myhotel chelsea, london

Myhotel Chelsea is a 45 room urban retreat in the heart of Chelsea, situated behind Brompton Cross within easy access of the fashionable shops and restaurants. It feels more like being in a modern country house than in the middle of the metropolis. The colours and textures are deliberately mixed up to create a sense of authenticity and history. The scope of the project was to give the property a completely new identity without changing anything structurally.

On the ground floor the pink lobby leads to the bar and reception. The bar is clad gloss white painted timber strip boarding while the counter is topped with polished pewter metal. Two doors open up onto the external deck and on one side is a new simple chrome fire surround with a mirror above. The conservatory opens off the pink ivy wallpaper-lined lobby with a view through the fish tank back into the reception. Along two sides are large clapboarded walls finished in pale green, punctured by chrome portholes through to the gym and treatment room.

Upstairs the bedrooms have a convincing familiarity, as though they are in a house one remembers staying in. The floor is carpeted in a subtly patterned grey and purple texture, while the walls are chalky white and pale pink. At the windows there are full length toile curtains in cherry red. The bed has a woven bed head by Lloyd Loom and covered in an array of cushions and a soft satin throw. The desk is a simple dark oak piece while opposite the bed sits a long horizontal Elm cabinet housing the fridge and stereo and TV. Two bedrooms behind the bar have a distinctly different character decorated in a palate of hot reds, clashing pinks and burned claret. They are best enjoyed at night with their luxurious 'polar bear' throws, erotic photography and moody lighting.