Boutique Design - April 2019 - 18

THE BUZZ

WEST-END GIRLS AND EAST-END BOYS
Many credit New York's now-gone-condo Morgans as the world's first
boutique hotel, opening in 1984 with interiors by the late Andrée Putman.
However, a deeper look reveals London's Blakes Hotel beat Morgans'
mastermind Ian Schrager to the punch when it debuted with interiors by
Anouska Hempel Design (AHD, London) in 1978. Four decades on, Blakes is
set to have an eight-story sibling with 87 guestrooms and suites in London's
Shoreditch. While, in essence, the elegant eclecticism and rock-n-roll hedonism of the West End original in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea will be
retained, interior designer AHD and London-based
architect Kyson will imbue the new hotel with a dash
of wide-boy (affable but morally dubious) panache
and the raw creativity that defines its East End locale.
Sichi Bon, art director, MA Hotels Management,
London, developer of the forthcoming property in
Shoreditch, explains that creating the brand concept
for the second Blakes required distilling the true
DNA of the first, what he calls a "positive reduction,"
to discern a common language defining what makes
a boutique hotel "boutique." "Blakes has suffered
years of people playing with elements they didn't
understand, graphic tweaks, misguided decisions
and poorly conceived storytelling," he says. "These
confused the message and undermined the quality
the brand deserved. The crucial stage has been discovering what is truly
essential collateral, and what could be made history."
One result of this process is banning the words "luxury" and "5-star" altogether when deciphering the Blakes experience, with Bon citing devalued
meanings due to overuse. Instead, key strands of its boutique identity include
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music, art, fashion and sex-and not necessarily in that order. "We talk about
creating coherent cultural connectivity between spaces and guests while
instilling a sense of high-end sophistication," he says. Given Blakes' slogan
"behind closed doors," he says they do speak of "exclusivity" yet also take
an inclusive approach in welcoming a kaleidoscope of personalities. "The
creative class is the upper class of Shoreditch," says Bon.
For Blakes, "boutique" is about individual character and making a space as flamboyant and immersive as possible. So what does this mean for the hotel
opening on Corsham Street in autumn 2020? Kyson
and AHD's design embodies a brutalist aesthetic
fitting for the neighborhood. Textured concrete and
solid stone accents will mix with handmade crafts
and local artistry-all with Blakes' recipe for playful
naughtiness and graceful ease. Bon says the team has
pinpointed local, left-field creatives they'll work with
to develop artistic interventions, from an installation
in the double-height lift lobby to live performance art.
Like the Blakes Below speakeasy in Kensington and
Chelsea, an after-hours club at the Shoreditch locale
will help solidify the hotel's position as the place
where locals indulge in a nightcap.
Looking further ahead, Blakes plans to broaden
its repertoire. "We're moving into an area of craft and
culture, creating a lifestyle brand out of Blakes," says Bon. "It will be on a small
scale, such as gift sets that become brand extensions used in guests' homes."
Also on the radar? Blakes Executive serviced office spaces, and in time, global
ambitions. "We have a world map with pins on it," he says. "It may be another
40 years before it happens, but Blakes is a brand built to last." 

COURTESY OF K YSON

BY ALICIA SHEBER

http://www.boutiquedesign.com

Boutique Design - April 2019

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