There is an erroneous tale of two Scottish cities that often makes the rounds, says Matthew Grzywinski, principal of New York-based design firm Grzywinski+Pons. In it, Edinburgh is portrayed as the stodgy and affluent contrast to edgy and artistic Glasgow, an unrealistic depiction of the capital. “Edinburgh has a soul. It’s living, it’s active,” he points out. With that in mind, when Grzywinski and his team set out to create the newly opened 72-room aparthotel Eden Locke—a sister property to London’s Leman Locke, which the firm also designed—in Edinburgh’s New Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, they shunned the predictable assault of stylized tartan and bagpipes for an airy, contemporary look that encapsulates the city’s underrated vibrancy.

Edinburgh is characterized by Georgian architecture that Grzywinski describes as “beautiful and monolithic,” a motif Eden Locke also embraces, clad in gray sandstone and capped with a row of dormers under a slate roof. Yet, this restrictive heritage also gave the designers an unexpected opportunity, he adds, because the space is now propelled by the animation of the interior.

Comprising a duo of buildings gutted down to their shells and woven together—one a Georgian mansion from the 1700s and the other its 20th-century extension—Eden Locke was manipulated so the spaces benefit from both the generous proportions of the original structure, most recently arranged as an office, and the newer one’s more intimate angles. Take the guestrooms, found in the latter, where shifting heights are maximized by staircases and custom wardrobes that act as balustrades.

A soothing, tropical aura akin to a solarium is conjured in the lobby lounge Hyde & Son—which morphs from a coffee café during the day to a cocktail bar at night—filled with low-slung chairs, knitted cushions, and greenery sprouting from terracotta pots. Plants even spruce up the bar, from which yellow mod pendant lights dangle overhead. Inspired by the “long, warm, and rosy Scottish light” that streams through the ground floor’s massive windows, Grzywinski opted for a soft, powdery palette of pastel hues throughout, such as green, pink, and peach. They are amplified by materials “that are clean and considered, but not formal,” including the glazed fanlight and wrought iron set off by glass and wood at the entrance, the contemporary grid-like wood panel covering the ceiling in the lobby, and the canary yellow doors popping against dark gray slatted cementitious boards in guestrooms. Timber, stone, brass, steel, marble, glass, and bespoke furniture crafted from rattan, wood, and wicker are also part of the relaxing mix.

With its apartment-style rooms showcasing kitchens, L-shaped sofas, and mottled leather headboards, Eden Locke captures Edinburgh’s lesser known spunky side, a feeling, says Grzywinski, “of cheerful serenity.”