ST MARTINS LANE
From its location at the hub of Covent Garden, West End theatres and Trafalgar Square, St Martins Lane is a reinvention of the urban resort. Smart and sophisticated, Philippe Starck’s design is a collision of influences that suffuses the hotel with vitality. Entered through tall, luminescent revolving doors—the tallest in London—St Martins Lane’s lobby is a theatrical space that offers a provocative manipulation of dimension and proportion. Starck presents a play on scale, with oversized columns and angled niches, complemented by Portuguese limestone floors. St Martins Lane’s lobby is a triumph of color and light.
SANDERSON
A lavish "Urban Spa" in the heart of London’s West End, Sanderson offers a retreat from the bustle of the city. The landmark 50s building has been transformed by Philippe Starck into a Cocteau-like dream world, epitomizing a “new luxury”. With the absence of “normal” walls and a floor-to-ceiling glass facade that diffuses natural light through flowing layers of sheer curtains, Sanderson’s indoor/outdoor lobby is a layered and sophisticated environment. Surrounding an extraordinary landmark Courtyard Garden designed by Philip Hicks, Starck juxtaposes Salvador Dali’s curvaceous red lips sofa with 60s mosaics and African furniture with a Louis XV armoire. The result is an elegant balancing act of wit and surprise. |