Firmdale Hotels has opened its eighth hotel in London under the Design Hotels banner.

Constructed by Woods Bagot, the building is situated in the heart of Soho on a 3000-square metre site. A contemporary urban village, the multi-use premises comprises a 91-room hotel, a restaurant and a 24-apartment residential complex, all built around a public square, which is home to five oak trees and a bronze sculpture courtesy of Turner Prize-winner Tony Cragg.

There are also 13 speciality shops, housing such retailers as Bloomsbury Flowers and the Australian homewares and jewellers enterprise, Dinosaur Designs. The restaurant, designed by Kit Kemp, seats 102 people and takes its name from the hotel – the Ham Yard Bar and Restaurant.

In the restaurant, floor-to-ceiling Crittall doors open directly onto the hotel’s terrace, providing an additional 50 seats for alfresco dining. Rich saffron hues feature predominantly with upholstered banquettes and walls lined with fabrics from Kemp’s collection with Christopher Farr. There’s a light installation from Martha Freud, while a pewter-topped counter separates the restaurant from the bar area, creating two distinct spaces.

Kemp also designed each of the hotel’s 91 rooms and 24 residences. The rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows and bathrooms furnished in granite and oak.

To top it all off, the complex also features a leafy rooftop garden, a state-of-the-art theatre, a 1950s style bowling alley and a fully-equipped gym with a hypoxic studio for altitude training and a ‘Soholistic’ spa.

www.designhotels.com