With a strong focus on design, each part of the property has been carefully created to reflect the fascinating history and ambiance of the surrounding area, combining the authentic Bankside urban ‘grittiness’ and polished, contemporary design. This riverside district lines the Thames with historic treasures, live music, street markets, pop-up events and award-winning museums – including Tate Modern, Borough Market, Shakespeare’s Globe and The Shard.
Set in one of London’s oldest and most culture-rich parts of the capital, Hilton London Bankside boasts 292 designer-inspired guest rooms, new neighbourhood eatery – OXBO Bankside – and ‘The Distillery’, located on the site of a former Victorian essence factory.
The hotel can cater for any event with 11 flexible meeting rooms inclusive of the beautiful Bankside ballroom; an impressive pillar-free room accessed by sweeping, grand staircases with bespoke chandeliers, a 6m-high ceiling and state-of-the-art technology, holding up to 600 guests.
Noticeable from its design is the Hilton London Bankside fox; he lives in some of the rooms and can be spotted lounging along the side of the children’s menu at OXBO Bankside. During the construction phase, Hilton’s Building Foreman Billy was visited each night by a friendly fox who casually padded around the site and came to be seen as the ‘guardian’ of Hilton’s project. For this reason, Hilton decided to welcome him into the hotel by giving him a legacy in a modern art piece, designed by Peter Millard and Partners, seen in some of the bedrooms, as well as small fox sculptures hidden around the hotel for guests to find.
Referencing the neighbourhood
Designed in partnership with London-based architecture practice, Dexter Moren Associates, and design studio, Twenty2Degrees, references to the neighbouring Tate Modern can be seen in the lobby flooring, which evokes the famous Turbine Hall and the unique collection of art displayed throughout the property. Striking bespoke lighting, exposed metal screens, bare brickwork, reprocessed Tube station tiles and bespoke joinery all feature, with furnishings inspired by the colours and prints of William Morris. Sculptures by British Artist, David Farrer, accentuate the interiors, while reclaimed ceilings and murals have been designed especially for the hotel’s public spaces.
10 years ago, when Dexter Moren of Dexter Moren Associates was commissioned to design a hotel to replace the banknote recycling shed on a rare island site on Great Suffolk Street, the initial brief was for a mix of budget hotel, aparthotel, conference and leisure uses at a time when the post-industrial landscape of Bankside was too run-down to be a suitable site for five-star luxury. Fortunately, the regeneration of the area, following The Globe, Tate Modern and The Shard, enabled an opportunity to combine the initial separate uses into a five-star hotel which, when other brands wavered, Hilton agreed to support the developer, Splendid Hospitality. Which too saw the potential for something extra special.
A combination of the concrete brutalism of Southbank, the urban edginess of Bankside, the looming shadow of Tate Modern and the power of the River Thames inspired the force of the narrative and the details of the design. The material selections were informed by the board-formed concrete in surrounding buildings whilst the layers of graffiti, weathered over time, sit alongside ultra-slick steel and glazed modern constructions.
Artistic influences
Hilton London Bankside is the closest five-star hotel to the Tate Modern, so it’s not surprising that the gallery’s overshadowing influence has instilled an art narrative at the core of the design and its detailing. Led by the interior design team, and curated by art consultant Peter Millard & Partners, artwork takes on a significant role in the design of the hotel. Displayed throughout the property, the artworks showcase a selection of young British artists. From the port cochere graffiti panel by Niki Hare, through to The Penny Wall in The Distillery by Diarmuid Byron-O’Connor and the subversively realistic papier-mache animal heads by David Farrer found in OXBO Bankside.
Other key features throughout Hilton London Bankside include the Alexander Calder-inspired lighting in the lobby lounge, with a mobile-effect design to create a bespoke, modern-day chandelier for the hotel.
The Rebar sculpture bestriding the rear reception provides a dramatic focal point upon arrival, with layered textures extending across the entire back wall. A ‘ghost mural’ featured in OXBO Bankside provides a subdued echo of the James Ashby & Sons ‘Fine Tea Factory’ signage from the 1850s, found locally on Union Street. And the playful urban fox motif referenced subtly more than 100 times.
Exterior or interior, Hilton London Bankside speaks with one design voice.
The structure of the hotel’s architecture by Dexter Moren Associates uses two adjoining forms, one low and one tall, each with its own identity and linked by a volumetric, glazed entrance and inner lightwells. The height and massing relate to existing and proposed neighbours, echoing the urban character whilst creating a distinct visual reference at the junction of Prices Street and Great Suffolk Street.
Innovative interiors
With refined concepts meeting a ‘London grit’ narrative, the colour palette uses subdued tones that are generally de-saturated, without any major colour statements. Limited ‘pops’ of colour are injected into the space with various pieces of furniture, bespoke William Morris-inspired carpets alongside the artwork and decorative accessories.
Moving into the expansive double-height reception area, guests can appreciate how the brick, metal and glass of the facade itself is a reflection and fusion of the area’s industrial heritage, echoed throughout the interiors. This space reflects the sensitive balance between the industrial and polished elements. The concrete-effect porcelain floor tiles are evocative of the concrete finishes of the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern, whilst the pillars are clad in slick white subway tiles with a line of British racing green relief. Each of the polished black and gold marble reception pods create a jewel-box contrast against the Rebar wall art, whilst the use of marble in the lift surrounds helps bring continuity to such a large space.
The long, floating light fitting, designed by Twenty2Degrees and Dexter Moren Associates, draws the eye upwards, exaggerating the height of the lobby. The lightweight decorative pendants use thin tubular steel with ribbed glass globes and were inspired by mid-century materiality and the lightweight kinetic mobiles of American Sculptor, Alexander Calder. The sweeping ellipse of the fitting is mirrored in the oval seating arrangement, helping pull the space together. Whilst on the floor, the carpets are a nod to classic Britishness; using a washed take on William Morris’ patterns as an inspiration.
The Distillery bar is a destination venue, a cocktail bar for serious mixologists. The interior takes inspiration from the shapes and materials that would have been used in the original distillery.
The bar features hints of ‘old world charm’ detailing, like the antique brass bar inlays, echo distillation equipment, whilst suggesting the comfortable elegance of a 1930s gentlemen’s club. The meticulous details provide a nostalgic charm in a space which has industrial light fittings and fluted glass with patinated steel warehouse-inspired partitions as the backdrop.
The warmth of the fumed oak parquet floor and timber ceiling is complemented by the earthy masculine hues of the rich, dark green leather upholstery and bronze-effect detailing.
Dining, sleeping and lounging
The effortless approach to the design of the OXBO restaurant complements the very British, locally-sourced menu. Despite catering for up to 168 covers, the decorative perforated steel screens provide privacy in the relatively large space as well as being strategically positioned to allow guests to be grouped within smaller areas to ensure the restaurant retains its ‘buzz’ whatever the time of day. The black and white floor tiles have a gentle Victorian feel but the hexagonal pattern creates a more contemporary edge. The design works alongside the parquet flooring, with the sharp yellow and blue tones of the William Morris-inspired carpet bringing a splash of vibrancy to the space.
A number of ‘ghost signs’ – advertising signs painted onto walls, faded and worn with the years and weather – can be found in the area around the hotel, and in a space where the outer urban context is brought indoors, the OXBO’s ghost mural references the original Rose Tea Mural at Union Street, Southwark.
Unlike many hotels where the executive lounge is segregated from the public areas, at Hilton London Bankside the design places the lounge directly on ground level, making its executive offer an aspirational statement.
The executive lounge follows the gentlemen’s club aesthetic, but is more domestic in scale and residential in feeling. Sumptuous, elegant and discrete, the space has a very relaxed but slightly masculine feel with navy and dark blue enlivened by a pop of yellow.
Outside the guest rooms, the corridor carpets were again designed by Twenty2Degrees and Dexter Moren Associates and are unique to Hilton London Bankside. The stria wash of green and murky hues is inspired by the fluid patterns and dull palette of the nearby River Thames. The room numbers again hark back to the site’s heritage, being inspired by old printing blocks.
Once inside the guest rooms, the design continues the sleek, industrial aesthetic but with a relaxed comfort that speaks to the boutique hotel offer. With materials including concrete-effect wallcoverings, limed timber and travertine stone, softness is layered into the room in the plump upholstery and the winged headboards that exude warmth and comfort.
In contrast to the public areas where the lighting acts to soften the space, in the guest bedrooms, the bell jar-shaped pendants and lamps become the more industrial components, with their accentuated joints and workshop articulation.