The Standard, London; The 1970’s Design Hotel of Dreams
When we found out that we’d managed to get Women’s final tickets for Wimbledon, it felt like we’d won the lottery. I’ve been a fan of the Wimbledon tournament for many years, and this year, myself and my partner decided to enter the ballot, which is the way that people like you and me are able to get our hands on those coveted tickets, without parting with limbs, possessions or taking out loans!
This meant that I now had to plan our first weekend away for A LONG TIME!
When visiting London, I always aim to stay in a design hotel, to gain as much inspiration as possible, but also one that’s good value for money with good transport links to the event that I’m attending.
Queen of Queen’s Bedroom
The Standard, London is housed in the former Camden Town Hall Annex built in 1974 in true Brutalist style, and it’s been on my hotel wish list since it opened in 2019. With it’s jaw-droppingly cool interior, sympathetic to its 1970’s exterior, great restaurants and bars within its shell, and bedrooms with a view of my favourite building in London - I thought it was time to visit The Standard.
The iconic Brutalist exterior, formally known as ‘The Egg Box’
The original Brutalist curved walls of ‘The Egg Box’, the name of which the building was formally known, are maintained and celebrated with the addition of superfluous iconic 1970’s features, including retro lamps, leather cocooning sofas, plenty of chrome, and colour palettes to drool over. Oh and bedspreads by Wallace Sewell, the female duo behind the the iconic London underground fabrics, strongly influenced by the Bauhaus.
The Standard hotel group was founded in 1999 by famous hotelier André Balazs and is now run by CEO Amar Lalvani. London is the group’s first arrival to Europe, with other destinations including New York, Hollywood, and Miami Beach. The London edition is designed by Shawn Hausman, leading design studio in boutique hospitality and interior design, and long-time collaborator of The Standard. He is the man responsible for the hotel’s distinct, Instagrammable, retro vibes.
The view from our bedroom window
Travelling into London from the North, Euston was our terminal, and the walk to The Standard was a breezy ten minutes. On approach to the hotel, we see the iconic St Pancras train station in full glory, my favourite building in London. The facade of the station is The St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel managed by Marriot International. The original hotel was designed by George Gilbert Scott which opened in 1873 and closed in 1935. Under new management it reopened in 2011, and occupies much of the former Midland Grand Hotel.
When planning the stay, I emailed the hotel to ask if there was any possibility that we could have a room with the view of St Pancras, as after all, this was a main draw for me in choosing this particular hotel. They replied saying they would absolutely try to accommodate the request. Entry to the hotel was a smack in the face of 70’s pleasure, and you experience the true meaning of the ‘lobby’. Walls clad with wood, an enormous brass chandelier and a bright red textured ceiling is punchy but tranquil. Look down and you’ll notice the huge groovy curve rug resting on the terrazzo floor.
The Lobby of lobbies
You feel instantly fabulous and you instinctively want to strut your stuff up to the reception desk, and continue the same confident sashay to your room. Check-in was fast and very friendly, and we were told on arrival that we had been upgraded to the Queen of Queen’s room (instead of the Queen’s Standard that we initially booked,) which had a little more space. So far, so amazing.
Our 7th floor room was accessed by one of the coolest lifts I’ve ever graced (the coolest lift comes later) and after a labyrinth of corridors led by a psychedelic carpet, we arrived. Never in my life have I actually been allocated the room that I wanted the most from the photos on the website, until now. This was The Room! The curved walls and windows - one of the the main design features of the whole aesthetic - is dominated by none other that the enormous facade of St Pancras station. We felt like had front row seats to a Harry Potter film.
The bedroom’s palette of blue, red, pink, tan, wood and chrome made my tastebuds tingle. Everything about it screamed super cool, and that’s even before I saw the bathroom where my dream colour combination of pink and red came to life. The vertical metro tiles in a shimmering gloss finish were laid in a way that makes you feel like you’re on an underground tube party. The blue hardware stood out against the tiles, looking considered and special.
Glossy pink and red metro tiles laid in London Underground fashion
The mini bar, with its high shine wood and high gloss red door was fully stocked with brands I love (namely, Tony’s Chocoloney and Kit Kat) and minis including Patron and Diplomatico Reserva.
Because I knew we’d want to spend as much time as possible in the hotel (when not watching the tennis) I reserved a table at one of it’s restaurants, Double Standard, overseen by Adam Rawson, serving casual, hearty food, draft beers and classic cocktails. We both had ‘The Burger’ with blue cheese and bacon and fries and it was delicious.
Next, we headed up to The Rooftop bar via the most incredible red pill shaped lift, situated on the exterior of the hotel with wrap-around window to allow the full view of Euston Road and St Pancras Kings Cross station. Elderflower Collins in hand, we sat back and enjoyed the incredible 360 views from the top of this superb hotel, with London skyline to the left and the station’s Clock Tower to the right, welcoming travellers, tourists and locals alike with its four-face clock.
The view of St Pancras King Cross from The Rooftop
A limited amount of time meant that we didn’t make it to Peter Sanchez-Iglesias's Decimo on the 10th floor, serving up Mexican and Spanish inspired dishes - I hear that the tortilla is a strong reason to go back. Another is it’s close proximity to Coal Drops Yard. I actually reserved a table at Lina Stores in this very area on the Saturday night, but the Men’s Doubles Final kept us wanting more, so we had to cancel the table.
We could have spent hours chilling, reading and chatting amongst the many bookshelves in The Library Lounge, surrounded by that warm 70’s glow created by mahogany, leather, real fires, waxy large-leaf plants and shag pile rugs on the walls, yeah the walls. I hear that book launches, events and DJ sets are held in this cosy space.
Maybe one time when we’re flush, we’ll even try one of the suites which are part of the new extended building above floor 7, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, private bars, B&O speakers in each room, and outdoor freestanding bathtubs where you can bathe under the stars. The interiors here have more of a Mad Men come Japandi vibe, maximising those large windows with a light and airy palette.
If you fancy a bit of swanky 70’s feels, lots of design inspiration, close to the tube, and very close proximity to Coal Drops Yard, you’re going to love The Standard, London. I’ll absolutely be returning.
And if you want to create a 1970’s hotel dream in your own home, I can help you with that. Just get in touch via the contact form to find out more about my design services.
The face of feeling at one with the weekend!
