A Well-travelled Address

London’s Georgian townhouses are its architectural crown jewels: beautifully proportioned, light and airy, and full of period character. Not one, but six of them have gone into the making of The Zetter Bloomsbury, the third outpost in the capital from the Zetter hotel group. These adjoining properties now add up to a fine stay in the heart of an area known historically for its antiquarianism, bookishness and bohemian spirit – all of which has been channelled into the interiors by James Thurstan Waterworth of Thurstan.

Waterworth says that Georgian architecture not only has an inherent elegance, but also “a wonderful domesticity; the rooms feel naturally comfortable and human in scale.” That domesticity – the feeling that The Zetter Bloomsbury could be a home, rather than a hotel – comes through in the 68 guest rooms, no two of which are alike. Waterworth says that this creates “a sense of discovery from room to room. We wanted each space to feel as though it had its own story, rather than being part of a repeated hotel template.

“What connects them is a consistent palette and an English sensibility rooted in the Georgian origins of the buildings. The rooms are individual, but they all feel part of the same house with that sense of history, comfort and collected character running throughout.”

To bring the interiors to life, the design team specified fabrics from Turnell & Gigon, de Le Cuona and Tissus d’Hélène, with trim from Samuel & Sons. Hector Finch’s ‘Mini L Bracket’ wall lights – specially designed with a short projection, for use next to a basin – are used in some of the bathrooms.

Public areas are comfortable and intimate, with lots of decorative detail: the bar (named The Parlour) features hand-painted faux-marble architraves and skirting, with a japanned front bar, while The Orangery restaurant is “a quiet place to retreat work or meet during the day, before transforming into a more vibrant setting for drinks and dinner in the evening,” says Waterworth.

Working with period buildings, and especially a whole suite of adjoining buildings, brought its challenges for the practice, “from the varying heights and levels between spaces to integrating all the electrical and mechanical requirements of a contemporary hotel, including something as fundamental as a lift,” says Waterworth. The interiors may feel like they have evolved over centuries, but they still need to fulfil travellers’ contemporary expectations of comfort and luxury. There’s a fully equipped gym as well as an outdoor yoga space (The Zetter Bloomsbury’s pretty terrace is a rare gem in central London).

As guests look for somewhere that balances high-end amenities with a sense of place, luxury hotel design is seeing a shift away from overt luxury-signalling and towards personality and authenticity. Thurstan’s approach with the Zetter Bloomsbury – and all the studio’s projects – resonates with this.

“The aim is to create storied spaces that feel effortlessly lived-in, both across our residential and hospitality projects,” says Waterworth. “For us, luxury is not about being shiny, overly polished or perfect. Instead, it comes through in the quality and tactility of the materials, the richness of the textures, the craftsmanship and the considered details.”