Whitworth Locke in Manchester is the most comprehensive realization of aparthotel brand Locke Hotels’ core philosophy—to effortlessly merge the worlds of social, stay, and work. Set across three former Victorian-era export mills, the hotel features maze-like coworking areas, a sleek cocktail bar, and a neighborhood coffee shop designed by local studio NoChintz, in addition to 160 studios and one-bedroom suites. (A ground-floor restaurant will debut later this year.)
As with the brand’s previous hotels, the design was helmed by New York firm Grzywinski+Pons, which gracefully infused a refined simplicity with a delicate palette. “The color choices were both inspired by, and a reaction to, Manchester,” says principal Matthew Grzywinski. “At first glance, it felt like a city of red brick and gray skies, but as one looks deeper, there are quite [a few] colorful pops. The yellow of the Manchester Bee, the pastels of Victorian fenestration, and the tension between those two extremes was quite exciting—like that between the existing fabric of Manchester and the new intervention.”