The Curtain
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here’s absolutely nothing wrong with members’ clubs, as long as you’re a member. If you’re not, you’re left with a constant feeling that you’re missing out on something. London has its fair share of private members’ clubs without the need to create even more within hotels but that is exactly what is happening. Two of the biggest London hotel openings this year have been The Ned in the City and The Curtain in Shoreditch. Both are partially closed for members only meaning that some parts of these hotels will never be available to Joe Public. So, unless you’re either a member, a paying guest staying at the hotel or the editor of a rather stylish hotel design magazine, the best you can do is read the reviews and look at the lovely pictures. That is a shame because it’s the closed bits that are usually the most fun and frankly non-members are missing out. The Curtain, which opened in the Summer, is a perfect example of this although the parts that are open to the public are impressive. This includes two of the hotel’s three restaurants. Red Rooster, which is the first European outpost of the successful Harlem eatery in New 16 GS Magazine
York where live music and Southern Soul Food is the order of the day. And Tienda Roosteria, an all day Mexican themed bar, restaurant and takeaway. Both venues are vibrant and lively and are already proving to be popular with the residents of Shoreditch and nearby Hoxton. The Curtain is a new build, designed by Dexter Moren Associates, and headed up by lead architect, Zoe Tallon, who has already picked up top prize in the prestigious Creative Spark Awards for best-designed new hotel. The nine storey building is located on the site of a former 1970s office block on the corner of Curtain Road, and its design reinterprets the area’s 19th century warehouse heritage. The facade consists of red brick with largeframed Crittall Windows which complement the industrial aesthetic and give the building a character and identity of its own. Inspiration for the exterior came from the many cabinet factories and colour warehouses that previously stood on the site. In these buildings the block is broken up vertically by the delivery doors to the warehouse; this also has the visual effect of breaking down a large facade into a smaller, more residential scale. The Curtain design uses
Photography by Adrian Houston
this device to break up the visual mass of the building while retaining its overall cohesion by the use of brickwork throughout. The Curtain is also designed to be a positive contribution to Shoreditch: not just as a landmark building, but one that helps to repair the streetscape by the use of proportions respectful of the surrounding buildings and reflecting the heritage of the site. The positive contribution goes beyond the fabric of the building and carries through to the interior where a vibe has been created which reflects much of what Shoreditch is in danger of losing: a character borne of its history. An area where artists and artisans, musicians, small scale manufacturers, furniture makers and designers have slowly given way to businessmen, techno-nerds, up-market cafe owners and restaurateurs. The area has in part been gentrified but the Bohemian spirit can still be found, albeit hidden behind the Curtain. The interior designers on the project were Dallas based Duncan Miller Ullman (DMU). The property was slated to have 120 rooms and suites, a subterranean members’ club, wellness sanctuary, a signature branded restaurant, various food and beverage outlets and a rooftop