Photography by Marcus Peel

The concept for Rough Luxe, a small boutique hotel in a London townhouse, came about through discussions between local designer/architect Rabih Hage and the owner on what "luxury" really means. "There is nothing luxury about something that is mass market; luxury is about appreciating the provenance of an item and its unique qualities," says Hage. "[We] decided to integrate this idea of luxury into the hotel and created the concept; rough and luxe at the same time. Rough as the area of London is a little bit rough and luxe for everything added to the interior."

In the initial stages of building, the designers made a fundamental discovery. "We started taking the wallpaper off and found there were numerous layers including handpainted paper from the 1920s with several coats of paint on top. It was like urban archaeology and I became fascinated by the layers and their history; and then the revelation came that I could leave the layers as a history of previous generations," says Hage. "The fact that the walls all have a distressed look, because that was what we were able to salvage, is even better because it gives a unique look to the project and echoes the idea of blending rough with luxe."

Hage believes there is something quintessentially English about layering styles and periods and everything that was added, in terms of furnishing or decoration, is deliberately modern (with the exception of some vintage pieces of crockery sourced from the Savoy). As such, original artwork by Susan Shup adorns the walls, accompanied by the playful portrait photography of Jonathan Root and design-art pieces by Karen Ryan. (Hage has a long-standing relationship with many artists like Shup and Ryan who have exhibited at his London gallery over the years.) The work of architectural photographer Massimo Listri has been blown up to dramatic effect creating trompe l’oeil wall murals, which bring the contrasting perspective of grand Italian palazzos and the feeling of luxury to the little Georgian townhouse.

"It would be false to pretend the rooms are large when they are not so I worked on depth and a feeling of space using photography," he says. "[Listri’s photos are] another example of the use of contrast in the design of the hotel; using the contrast of the compact volume of the rooms with the depth of this architectural photography."

Rough Luxe hotel, London
Owner: Rough Luxe Hotel Ltd
Architecture Firm/Interior Design Firm/Purchasing Firm/Lighting: Rabih Hage, London
Graphics: Marnich.com
Beds: Rabih Hage
Fabric: Donghia

Breakfast Room
Dining table: Rabih Hage
Window blinds fabric: Sahco

Bedroom
Cushion fabric: Etro
Bed fabric: Gaston y Daniela and Abbott and Boyd

Lobby
Carpet: Beiriz Portugal
Black chair: Caret Ryan
Armchairs: Rabih Hage