ARCHITECTURE / INTERIOR DESIGN

Kit Kemp

The first deluxe hotel in the bustling borough of London’s Soho was created on the site of a former multi-storey car park. The Soho hotel was built from scratch, yet still respects the original red brick structure. This shrine to eclecticism boasts unusually large rooms of which some feature floor-to-ceiling warehouse-style windows. All 91 guestrooms have been lovingly designed and furnished by Kit Kemp. She does not approach a design with a fixed idea in her mind, but rather creates her look very hands-on by mixing, matching and experimentation.

Her contemporary British style is firmly founded on using top-notch furnishings and materials in artful combination with a plethora of style, colour and pattern. Kemp's private art collection also enriches the personal flavour of the guestrooms and public spaces. It's hard to miss the impressive 10-foot-tall Botero sculpture in the lobby, or the mural, which adorns the designer hotel's Refuel Bar & Restaurant. The mural was commissioned to illustrate the automotive origins of the site.