If you thought Hoxton couldn’t get any more hip; think again. Project Orange has designed a new 15sqm concept room for the Hoxton Hotel, Shoreditch around the theme of ‘East London’. The 200 room hotel (opened by Pret a Manger boss Sinclair Beecham in 2006) has become known for its radical, cheap airline approach to room-pricing, styling itself as a ‘luxury budget urban lodge’. Any preconceptions of tacky rooms decked out in ‘EasyJet’ orange should be quickly be banished however, as the hotel has also gained a reputation for its stylish interiors and unparalleled design quality.
Project Orange’s room doesn’t disappoint, with a design that nods to the mid-nineties gentrification of Shoreditch without overlooking its gritty urban context. They say:
“Our interpretation of the context led us to propose a bedroom set within aged and distressed building fabric with a mixture of newer, more luxurious artefacts placed within it. The walls, floor and ceiling reflect something about the urban condition, whilst the loose furnishings offer comfort and provide users with what they need.”
The surfaces of the room have been left raw; plaster walls, a purposefully distressed carpet and a painted concrete ceiling are particularly good at communicating the shabbiness of East London, backed up by a built-in bed and bench structure that has been constructed from old reclaimed floorboards. Contrasting textiles and patterns remind of the vibrant nature of the artists’ community that resides in Hoxton, while more decadent pieces are a reference to the business suits and briefcases of the City nearby. A high-spec circular glass shower, for example, creates a focus in the bedroom and brings natural light into the bathroom.
The concept room has been designed with a view to completing a further 150 bedrooms, exploring the brand of urban comfort.
(images via Project Orange)
