The former Bow Street Magistrates’ Court, an 1881 Grade II-listed building across from London’s Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, is a historic gem that has known scandal, including trials of playwright Oscar Wilde, suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, and East End gangsters the Kray twins. Today, it’s home to the glamorous NoMad London, the first international outpost for the U.S.-based brand.
Developed by New York-based Sydell Group and Qatar-based BTC, the NoMad London marks Sydell’s second UK venture following the 2017 opening of the Ned, developed with Soho House in London’s Square Mile. Sydell founder and CEO Andrew Zobler says this introduction to the city helped shape the NoMad’s concept: a conversation between New York and London. “London is a big departure in terms of design from the earlier NoMads,” he says. “We took inspiration from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and London culture, but the core DNA of NoMad remains in spirit.”
Framed by dark timber paneling and an inset antique mirror, handprinted botanical wallpaper wraps the Fireplace Room
For example, the Library, a brand pillar, holds books inspired by the two cities’ cultural connections. The design also plays with that dichotomy thanks to vintage deco seating in printed velvet, tall sapele millwork shelves, and burnished brass picture lights that illuminate oil paintings and antique books.
To evoke an eccentric modernity that marries old and new, Zobler tapped longtime design collaborators Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch, principals of New York-based Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors, to lend their eclectic eye to the hotel. (Paris-based Jacques Garcia spearheaded the design of NoMad properties in New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.) Given its location in London’s “theatreland,” the duo’s background as Hollywood film set designers, and their New York knowledge, Standefer and Alesch were an ideal choice for artfully layering romantic bohemia with dramatic elegance. “Changing the design team caused us to rethink what is core to the brand and where it should be edited,” says Zobler.
While NoMad London is Roman and Williams’ first hotel project in Europe, Standefer says they are comfortable working with a historic property. “Restrictions add excitement to a project,” she says. “We embrace history and add new layers.” The 21 suites and 70 guestrooms—a handful of which are converted jail cells while others are in a new wing—feel like sumptuous apartments with richly textured fabrics and rugs, graceful fireplaces, and distinctive art. “Materials and references are both original and historically gathered,” adds Alesch.
The light-filled suites channel the luxurious apartments of art collectors with plush fabrics and rugs and contemporary artwork
Paris-based studio be-poles, a frequent Sydell partner, curated the hotel’s 1,600 collected and commissioned artworks, which celebrate the two cities. Vibrant photographs turn up the dial in Side Hustle, the buzzy ground-floor bar helmed by chef Ashley Abodeely that blends the laidback cheer of British pubs with New York’s gritty confidence. (The subterranean cocktail bar and lounge Common Decency will open in 2022.)
Many public areas, including the foliage-filled, three-story Atrium restaurant, feature murals painted by the Royal Opera House’s set designers. “The visually stunning, light-filled space is the standout of the design,” says Standefer. The eatery, another NoMad hallmark, was built anew by enclosing the former police courtyard with a glass ceiling and steel structure. The result: “A once-intense place is now beautiful and hopeful,” says Alesch.
This article originally appeared in HD’s August 2021 issue.
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