She’s the talk of London town: award-winning designer Kit Kemp and partner Tim have just announced the launch of their Firmdale Hotels’ eighth property in London, the Ham Yard Hotel. Punchy colours and off-the-wall design elements mixed with a fresh, modern take on English style makes this venue one of Kit’s most impressive.
With their keen creative vision Kit and Tim have turned a 0.3-hectare site in Soho into a multidimensional mecca. The purpose-built 91-room hotel and 24-apartment residential property encompasses a unique tree-filled pedestrian mall flanked by a restaurant, bar and 13 handpicked specialty stores including Australian homeware and jewellers Dinosaur Designs. Comfort options abound with a sumptuous drawing room, library, Soholistic spa and leafy rooftop garden. If that’s not enough for you, the 188-seat movie theatre and a fully restored, imported 1950s Texas bowling ally, complete with hand warmers and visible return runs built into an events/bar space is sure to catch the eye.
Using the local Soho landscape as a reference, London-based architects Woods Bagot constructed the building complementary to the scale of its neighbours while bringing a contemporary touch to one of London’s most historic entertainment districts. At the heart of the property is a new public square, home to five mature oak trees, specialty shops and a commissioned four-metre Tony Cragg sculpture called Group, a work that appears as large stacked compression of undisclosed, perhaps animal, forms that scream with a chaotic energy.
Ham Yard Bar and Restaurant, named after the hotel, offers a menu focused on simple, fresh simple dishes. Head chef Robin Read masterfully pairs the likes of seared scallops and tempura courgette flowers, or sea trout with samphire and mussels. Rounding out the revolving seasonal dishes is a menu of hand-rolled pastas and regional meats including Aberdeenshire sirloin and crispy duck.
Each of the 91 rooms and suites and 24 residential apartments have been individually designed by Kit Kemp. Each room features dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the greenery of the courtyard or the London skyline. Bathrooms feature a mix of granite and oak, and Firmdale’s new amenities line, RikRak, ranging from shampoo and conditioner to pillow spray and candles.
Ham Yard Hotel, a member of the impeccably curated Design Hotels group, is located in the heart of London’s Soho, just minutes from Regent Street, Covent Garden and Mayfair.
1 Ham Yard, Soho, London, United Kingdom
Tel +44 20 3642 2000
www.firmdalehotels.com/hotels/london/ham-yard-hotel/
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