Montcalm East SHOREDITCH Blacksheep channels the East End’s artistic heritage through a contemporary lens to design part hotel, part creative hub for Autograph Collection. Words: Ben Thomas Photography: © Matthew Shaw (unless otherwise stated)
E
ast London embarked on a creative
photographic legacy of the district to devise a
renaissance during the 1980s and 90s,
scheme that captures the perspectives to have
when a generation of artists – including
shaped it over the years. From the lobby with
the likes of Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and
its Instagrammable archway and lens-inspired
Turner Prize-winning photographer Gillian
rugs to a mezzanine awash with RGB colours, the
Wearing – reclaimed the area’s abandoned
composition is clear. There’s also a darkroom-
warehouses and repurposed them as studios
inspired VIP booth – billed as the Photo Lab –
for both business and pleasure. Since then, a
where guests can sip limited-edition cocktails,
bohemian spirit has defined this patch of the
get their hands on point-and-shoot cameras,
city, which has been home to boundary-pushing
and turn smartphone shots into Polaroid snaps
hotels like The Hoxton, Ace and CitizenM.
using special printers.
Now, a new haunt has burst onto the scene.
“Our mantra when designing the space was
The reincarnation of M by Montcalm, Montcalm
look up, look down, look around,” says Toni
East – part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection –
Black, Director of Interior Design at Blacksheep.
draws the eye before guests even walk through
“We took inspiration from the building itself
its doors. The diamond-shaped building on
and combined it with research into Shoreditch
City Road, completed by Squire & Partners in
to create a story all about perspective.”
2015, pays tribute to Op artist Bridget Riley and
Part of the process also involved examining
features a shark-grey façade that shimmers as
the guest journey through the hotel, with key
the light strikes.
changes being the repositioning of the entrance
Optical illusions and visual surprises abound
to enhance the flow and reconfiguration of the
inside too, where Shoreditch-based design
restaurant and bar to become anchor points.
studio Blacksheep has tapped into the rich
The real challenge for Blacksheep however was
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