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    Post Company and Lázaro Rosa-Violàn turn 17th-century convent into Lisbon hotel

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    Design studios Post Company and Lázaro Rosa-Violàn have combined historic features and contemporary touches for the Locke de Santa Joana hotel on the site of a convent in Lisbon, Portugal.

    A 17th-century convent building has been renovated and integrated alongside newly constructed additions to form part of the hotel.
    The Locke de Santa Joana hotel occupies a 17th-century convent in LisbonAmerican studio Post Company designed the interiors of the rooms, while Barcelona-based Lázaro Rosa-Violàn oversaw the design of the hotel’s public spaces.
    Locke de Santa Joana is the latest and biggest property from Locke Hotels – set across nine floors, it contains 370 units comprised of hotel rooms, apartments and suites, as well as a range of public spaces.
    The studios refined and highlighted existing architectural details”The hotel was originally a convent built in the 1600s – in designing the rooms, we wanted to marry this rich history with the contemporary culture of Lisbon,” Post Company partner Jou-Yie Chou told Dezeen.

    While the rooms’ interiors are largely clean and minimal, Post Company refined and highlighted architectural features including archways, pillars and mouldings.
    “We wanted to create a dialogue between the rooms’ architectural ‘bones’ and their interiors,” said Chou.
    Contemporary furniture and lighting elements were added to the roomsThese historic details were complemented with modern furniture, lighting fixtures and decorative elements added in natural tones.
    “Chairs in the kitchens and living spaces have a clear foundation in pews or church furniture, but still read as modern,” said Chou.

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    “Mohair and boucle upholstered furniture in sinuous shapes lend geometric friction, while clean, minimal millwork is softened by over-stuffed textiles,” Chou continued.
    Fabrics, ceramics and stone finishes were sourced from the surrounding area, including rugs and textiles from local makers, as well as a Portuguese stone, Rose Aurora, for the washbasins and a local limestone for the bathroom floors.
    Glass and wood partitions were used to divide spaces within suite-style roomsEach suite-style room has its own living area and burnt orange kitchenette alongside a bedroom, which was divided using a glass and wood partition screen.
    “Glass and wood partitions provide design interest and functionality all at once,” said Chou.
    “They offer both privacy and room definition, creating a residential feel while still allowing light to permeate the room.”
    Lázaro Rosa-Violàn oversaw the design of the public spaces including a cafePublic spaces within the hotel include restaurants, cafes, bars, a co-working and meeting space, as well as a gallery to display pieces found during the renovation of the convent.
    There is also a courtyard pool at the centre of the hotel, framed by dark wooden decking.
    Terracotta pots and mosaic tiles were incorporated throughout the hotel’s interiorLázaro Rosa-Violàn continued the natural, rustic colour palette of terracotta, yellows, greens and blues used in the rooms for the shared spaces.
    “We tried to evoke warm, contemporary spaces while still taking inspiration from the colour tones of the existing architectural elements,” studio founder Lázaro Rosa-Violàn told Dezeen.
    Blue and white mosaic tiles were intended to reference the hotel’s location in PortugalCeramics feature heavily throughout the hotel, with large plant-filled terracotta pots and mosaic tiles traditionally associated with Lisbon lining the walls and tabletops.
    “When talking about Lisbon, the first thing that comes to mind is the distinctive tiles adorning the city’s buildings,” said Rosa-Violàn.
    “We’ve incorporated this element in a modern and contemporary way, combining them with rich textures, patterns, natural materials and colourful fabrics, accentuating the historical architecture.”
    Since its first location opened in 2016, Locke has expanded to include 17 sites across the UK and mainland Europe.
    Other Locke Hotels recently featured on Dezeen include Locke am Platz in Zurich and Locke at East Side Gallery in Berlin.
    The photography is courtesy of Locke Hotels.

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      Sella Concept adds “classic theatrical flair” to Locke am Platz hotel

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      London design studio Sella Concept has designed interiors to balance modern and classical elements for the latest Locke hotel in Zurich, Switzerland.

      Called Locke am Platz, the hotel in Zurich’s Enge neighbourhood is surrounded by parks and botanical gardens, with Lake Zurich nearby.
      Sella Concept co-founder Tatjana Von Stein aimed to reflect the area’s cultural identity through her design, which draws upon Swiss Riviera aesthetics combined with modernism.
      Sella Concept completed the interiors for Locke am Platz in Zurich”Zurich has so many layers, an old school elegance mixed with brutalist modernist architecture,” Von Stein told Dezeen.
      “Everything pointed towards a very layered concept, juxtaposing modernism with a classic theatrical flair.”

      Each studio apartment has its own living areaSet across six floors, Locke am Platz contains 80 units, including 40 hotel-style rooms for shorter stays as well as studio apartments, each with their own living area and kitchenette alongside a bedroom and en-suite.
      With warm red and yellow tones, strong patterns and rich upholstery, apartment interiors have been curated to resemble a series of boudoirs – the traditional term for a woman’s bedroom or interior space.
      Red bedspreads match velvet-lined decorative curtainsRed velvet bedspreads were paired with matching decorative curtains that frame the bed.
      “It is important to create a little sense of drama, moments of subtility to moments of indulgence,” Von Stein said.
      Kitchenettes are fitted with red cabinetsKitchenettes were designed with contrasting red cabinets and petrol-blue marble backs.
      Wooden shelves are decorated with books, sculptures and ornaments, while parquet wooden flooring is arranged in a mosaic-like pattern.
      Staircase walls are clad with stainless steel panelsDownstairs, the reception area continues the juxtaposing material palette with deep orange velvet drapes and carpets alongside stainless steel, wood and high gloss finishes. According to the designer, materials were chosen as part of a careful “balance between hard and soft”.
      “We clad the existing staircase walls in stainless steel in contrast to its warm terracotta-coloured carpet, traditional statues and marble plinths,” Von Stein described.
      Bespoke furniture designed by Sella Concept and manufactured by Parla features throughoutShared social spaces include a lounge, bar, restaurant and private dining area. Velvet-lined curtains wrap around the lounge area, which sits on a raised, carpeted platform overlooking the wider common area.
      “When planning the spaces on the ground floor, I introduced various apertures between the spaces, a typical modernist character trait,” said Von Stein.
      “My aim is always to create a sense of intimacy while still being connected.”
      A wood-panelled bar is paired with green velvet stoolsA central bar connects the lounge and restaurant spaces.
      Taking cues from the modernist era, the front of the bar was decorated with geometric wood panels and topped with a marble surface. It was paired with stools upholstered with green velvet.
      Yellow and green finishes by Yarn Collective appear in the hotel restaurantChoupette, the main hotel restaurant, echoes the wider interior scheme and includes yellow curtains and green velvet-skirted banquettes by London textile company Yarn Collective.
      The restaurant and lounge areas incorporate bespoke furniture designed by Sella Concept and manufactured by Parla.
      “Designing bespoke furniture makes it so unique to the project, allowing us to work perfectly into our space, and for our materials and forms to reflect the narrative set,” Von Stein explained.

      Grzywinski+Pons designs Locke at East Side Gallery to “capture the strange magic” of Berlin

      Connected to the restaurant, a separate private dining area was adorned with a classical mural on the ceiling by decorative painter Magdalena Julia Gordon.
      “We commissioned Magda to create the ceiling mural to bring this dark room to life through artistry and a little touch of humour,” said Von Stein.
      A mural by Magdalena Julia Gordon adorns the ceiling of the private dining roomSince its first location opened in 2016, Locke has expanded to include 15 sites across the UK and mainland Europe.
      Other projects by Sella Concept recently featured on Dezeen include office interiors for a tech company in New York and the London headquarters for fashion brand Sister Jane.
      Photography is courtesy of Locke and Sella Concept.

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      Grzywinski+Pons designs Locke at East Side Gallery to “capture the strange magic” of Berlin

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      Glass screen doors, bespoke furniture and natural textures draw on the waterside location of Locke at East Side Gallery hotel in Berlin by architecture studio Grzywinski+Pons.

      Located in the inner-city Friedrichshain district, Locke at East Side Gallery contains 176 studio apartments equipped with kitchenettes and living areas, for short stay through to longer tenancies as part of the Locke group’s “home-to-hotel” format.
      Rooms at Locke at East Side Gallery feature sliding doors with bespoke glass panelsFor the interiors, Matt Grzywinski of Grzywinski+Pons told Dezeen he wanted “the look and feel to be expressive and aspirational, but also comfortable and even quietly nurturing”.
      “I wanted to see if it could be exciting and calming all at once,” he said.
      Raw concrete walls catch the grazing light from the River SpreeThis dualism is reflected in the location of the hotel which, in one direction, faces the River Spree and overgrown riverfront lots on the opposite bank in Kreuzberg. The other side of the building, facing onto a busy road, looks out to the Mediaspree skyline of offices and hotels.

      The interior design takes its cues from the building’s microlocality. Bespoke kiln glass was made for glass panels in the rooms, which have the same character as the surface of the River Spree in grazing light. Most suites have private balconies with river or skyline views.
      “The Spree is a pretty placid river, and the light reflecting off of its gently textured surface is a major component of the views from the hotel,” Grzywinski told Dezeen.
      Rattan screens separate sleeping and living areasRaw concrete walls echo the remains of the Berlin Wall, which are directly in front of the hotel on the Friedrichshain side.
      “I try to employ texture to provide comfort and warmth in spaces or, conversely, contrast that with sleek or glossy surfaces,” the designer said.
      Calming colours and textures contrast with pops of colourIn the rooms, the palette of wood, concrete and textured glass was enlivened with pastel coloured soft furnishings, including turmeric chairs, pastel mirrors, braided grass rugs, suede and rattan headboards and screens.
      “Colour for me is intuitive,” Grzywinski explained. “Blush, mint, buff – powdery tones that I thought were a nice foil to the largely neutral and monochromatic, even industrial, context.”
      Jacques Biny bedside wall lights were incorporated into custom suede and rattan headboardsGrzywinski+Pons designed the majority of the furniture for the rooms, but also specified lighting and some other pieces including Jacques Biny bedside wall lights, which were integrated into custom bedheads, and BRDR Krueger chairs to complement the studio’s dining tables.
      The ground floor features complimentary co-working area for guests and locals, including a coffee shop and audiophile bar, as well as the Anima restaurant.
      Intended as a dedicated space for music lovers, the eating, drinking, listening concept of Anima was informed by Japan’s “kissaten” hi-fi cafes, which preceded affordable home stereos.
      ANIMA is an audiophile bar focussed on musicThe restaurant said they hope to help guests “connect to music and one another in a warm setting”.
      The social spaces on the ground floor resemble a gallery space that is used for art exhibitions and community events.
      Greenery in brick planters soften the concrete industrial spaceBuilt-in seating and planters were fabricated from locally-sourced bricks comprised of recycled sand and lime. Furnishings echo the wider design treatment in a palette of timber, cane, fabric and cord.
      “As furnishings and installations get closer to the touch level, I introduced colour and texture that hopefully was harmonious, and in contrast to the otherwise raw public spaces,” Grzywinski said.

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      “The wall curtains literally transition from grey to blush with an ombre print,” he continued.
      “I wanted the hotel to capture some of that strange magic Berlin has, where you can feel like you are in the centre of a vast and dynamic avant-garde metropolis, which simultaneously presents like a tranquil retreat.”
      Curtains in the lobby feature a subtle ombre fade from grey to blushSince its first location opened in 2016, Locke has expanded to include 14 sites across the UK and mainland Europe, with Zurich, Copenhagen, Lisbon and Paris locations due to open in the next year.
      Other hotels recently featured on Dezeen include The Hoxton Charlottenburg by AIME Studios in Berlin and Cowley Manor Experimental in the Cotswolds, UK, designed by Dorothée Meilichzon.
      Photography is by Nicholas Worley.

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      Ember Locke hotel channels Kensington’s decadent heyday

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      Warm saturated colours and maximalist touches are combined inside Locke Hotels’ latest outpost in west London, designed by local studios Atelier Ochre and House of Dré.

      Occupying an imposing Victorian mansion block in Kensington, the Ember Locke hotel was designed as a homage to some of the area’s historic architecture.
      Atelier Ochre and House of Dré have designed the Ember Locke hotelAmong the references brought in by the designers were the art deco Kensington Roof Gardens and the now-defunct Biba department store, which rose to popularity in the Swinging Sixties.
      “We wanted to create interiors that are an extension and interpretation of the neighbourhood, a space that reflects the cultural heritage of Kensington but also somewhere that shows the area’s evolution over time,” Atelier Ochre founder Pauline Dellemotte told Dezeen.
      “We wanted to delve into the world of bold patterns, rich colours, eclectic furniture and art deco details, to tap into the sense of opulence that once dominated the Kensington scene.”

      The hotel accommodates 121 serviced apartmentsInstead of traditional guest rooms, Ember Locke accommodates 121 serviced apartments over eight floors, alongside a bakery, restaurant and conservatory cocktail bar, a stage for live performances, a co-working space, a gym and a garden.
      Its interiors were designed to offer a contrast to the hotel’s location on bustling Cromwell Road – home to three of London’s most important museums including the V&A and the Natural History Museum.
      Velvet banquettes in the rooms are trimmed with ultra-long fringingThe building’s original arch-topped windows are mirrored in the arches and curves found in each room, from tubular-backed banquettes and chairs to the sculptural meandering clothes rail of the deconstructed wardrobe.
      “The curved edges of the banquette, the rotating mirror and the wardrobe rail are attempts to combine the unlikely trio of playfulness, comfort and practicality,” said House of Dré founder Andreas Christodoulou.
      “We’ve introduced some bold furniture and sculptural objects to spark a sense of curiosity and playfulness, and to allow guests to interact and reflect themselves within the space,” Dellemotte added.
      Each apartment also has a small kitchenetteThe velvet banquettes are trimmed with ultra-long fringing, echoed by the fringed pendant lights that hang low above the circular table in each room to zone the seating area.
      Brass detailing across coat hooks, wall lights and clothes rails adds to the sense of opulent modernity.

      Fettle designs Schwan Locke Hotel in homage to early German modernism

      An intense colour palette, which layers red, orange and mustard tones, is offset by the deep green of the apartment kitchenettes, highlighting the more practical nature of this area.
      “With the fringing and warm earthy colours, the rooms flirt with maximalism but still possess the calm and contemporary sophistication that one would expect from a Locke hotel,” said Christodoulou.
      The bed is separated from the kitchen via a cotton curtainHeavy recycled-cotton curtains in a claret colour, custom-created by London textile company Yarn Collective, track around the walls and create a flexible room divider, separating the bed and kitchen areas when needed.
      Many of the communal spaces feature art by local and up-and-coming artists alongside specially created works by House of Dré.
      Striped shower curtains jazz up the bathroomsThe project was a close creative collaboration between Dellemotte and Christodoulou.
      “We are old friends who met at a previous practice,” said Dellemotte. “Our friendship grew to include exciting collaborations across hospitality projects, where we combined our passions for design and art.”
      “At Ember Locke, we’ve been given the opportunity to blend the interior aesthetics and art curation of the spaces with the overall branding of the hotel in a holistic way.”
      Surfaces are finished in a salmony peach colourLocke Hotels already has a number of other outposts in London. Among them is one in Bermondsey – with interiors designed by Holloway Li to echo sunny California deserts – and one near St Paul’s Cathedral that is housed in a converted 1970s office block.
      The photography is by Kensington Leverne

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      Holloway Li transforms Munich office building into Wunderlocke hotel

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      Wassily Kandinsky’s abstract paintings influenced the colourful yet understated interiors that design studio Holloway Li has created inside the Locke hotel in Munich.

      The aparthotel, called Wunderlocke, contains 360 serviced studio apartments and is situated in Munich’s Obersendling district, taking over an office building that previously belonged to German tech company Siemens.
      A timber desk anchors Wunderlocke’s receptionLondon-based Holloway Li aimed to celebrate the building’s raw structure and reveal its “inner voice”, avoiding a more traditional “material intensive” approach to retrofitting.
      This decision was chiefly informed by the work of 20th-century Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky – a pioneer of abstract art who spent a significant portion of his career in Munich.
      Adjacent to the reception is a co-working area”Kandinsky’s work explores how we can develop a closer relationship to nature through abstraction, rather than through more figurative approaches favoured at the time,” explained Holloway Li.

      “He believed that by connecting with the ‘innerer klang’ (inner voice) of things, an artist could reveal the natural essence of objects and materials.”
      Teal-coloured leather runs around the edge of the bar counterIn line with this idea, the studio stripped back the building to its concrete shell and added a carefully curated selection of furnishings using natural colours and materials where possible.
      At the heart of the ground-floor reception is a curved timber desk inset with panels of wheat-coloured carpet, which were also used to wrap the lower half of the room’s structural columns.
      Yellow and red furnishings bring a burst of colour to the barBeyond the reception is an informal co-working area dressed with plush sea-green sofas and communal timber desks.
      Holloway Li placed leafy potted plants around the periphery of the room and along the trellis-style shelves, creating the impression that the nearby Grünwald forest has “grown into and occupied” the interior.

      Fettle designs Schwan Locke Hotel in homage to early German modernism

      This floor of the Wunderlocke hotel also houses a drinks bar, with the lip of its countertop upholstered in supple teal-coloured leather to encourage guests to get comfortable and hang around for longer.
      Mustard-yellow tub chairs and a red seating banquette provide extra pops of colour.
      The building’s terrazzo staircase dates back to the 1960sThe upper floors of the hotel can be reached via a terrazzo staircase, which dates back to the 1960s but was updated with a stainless steel handrail.
      Painted in natural blue and green hues, each guest suite is designed to function as a small studio apartment with its own lounge area and kitchenette.
      Guest suites are decked out in shades of blue and greenIf guests don’t want to cook in their room, they have the option of eating at Mural Farmhouse – a group of five food and drinks venues spread across seven floors of the Wunderlocke building.
      Run by the founders of Munich’s Michelin-starred restaurant Mural, the complex encompasses an all-day restaurant, a wine bar, cocktail bar, coffee shop and an upscale eatery.
      All of the venues follow a farm-to-table ethos, making use of hand-picked herbs and vegetables from the hotel’s rooftop farm, which offers views over the Bavarian Alps.
      Each suite comes complete with a lounge and kitchenetteWunderlocke is the second Munich outpost from British aparthotel chain Locke. The first, called Schwan Locke, pays homage to early German modernism and features a colour palette informed by the work of Mies van der Rohe.
      Holloway Li was previously tasked with designing Locke’s location in the London district of Bermondsey, which evokes sunny California deserts.
      The photography is by Ed Dabney.

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