25 Jul 2019
It's the 70s on steroids at the new Standard hotel London
BY Liz Terry
The Standard's first hotel outside of the US has opened in north London, with interiors by Shawn Hausman inspired by the 'colourful' history of the area, from punk rock bands to 'the mischievous underbelly of King’s Cross'.
The 266 room hotel is housed in the former Camden Town Hall Annex, a 1974 Brutalist building opposite St Pancras station, and features three restaurants, a bar styled like library and a wood panelled recording studio.
Hausman worked with Archer Humphryes Architects, who were responsible for the interior architecture.
The curved corners of the building are echoed inside many of the bedrooms, which feature curved window seats, bright blue carpets and bathrooms featuring playful striped tiling. Some of the suites have terraces, outdoor hot tubs and custom-made timber cabinetry and seating.
Oversized blue revolving doors lead guests to a reception desk which sits in front of an original commissioned ceramic installation by North London based artist Lubna Chowdhary.
A new glass extension has been added to the roof of the 1970s building; this will house a 10th floor latin-inspired restaurant – opening in September – accessed by a scarlet exterior lift and with 360-degree views of London.
"We tried to take over the building in a friendly way – keeping the essence, but almost as if California rebels had taken over a government building and made it more free-spirited," said Shaun Hausman of the interior concept.
The Standard Kings Cross marks the first in a planned series of international hotel openings for the brand, with properties planned for Maldives, Milan, Paris, Lisbon, Bordeaux, Mexico City, Bangkok, Jakarta, Ko Samui, Phuket and Chicago.
The company has five hotels in the US, in Los Angeles (Hollywood and Downtown LA), New York City (Meatpacking District and East Village) and Miami Beach.
Hotel entrepreneur, André Balazs, who created The Standard brand stepped away from the company in 2017 to launch a new high-end luxury hotel brand. Balazs retains 20 per cent of the company.
He opened the Chiltern Firehouse in London in 2013 and it remains part of André Balazs Properties.
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