A new vision for short stays at Buckle Street Studios

This article first appeared in Mix Interiors Issue 218

A bumper year for Locke marked the launch of six new projects, including those in Dublin, Edinburgh, London and Munich; a surge of expansion during a pandemic that saw other players slow down and take stock. Indeed, the aparthotel concept and its self-contained rooms proved a popular alternative for guests seeking hospitality experiences more suited to social distance measures. But the latest addition to the portfolio – the brand’s eleventh development in total and fifth in London – Buckle Street Studios, breaks ranks with previous iterations by mixing 87 signature serviced apartments with 16 hotel-style, short-stay guestrooms, whilst also containing the brand’s first concept store and dedicated makers space.

Designed from the ground up by Matthew Grzywinski of New York-based Grzywinski+Pons, the 13-storey newbuild’s interiors are characterised by curving silhouettes and a muted palette of clay, sage, sand and pastels – taking cues from the distinctively modern exterior and the dense knit of low and high-rises of the surrounding Aldgate East district. The project’s architecture is defined by a portion of latticed metal at its base and a volume of translucent glass enclosing the top, with the aesthetic carrying throughout as smoothed edges, raw plaster and a rotating cast of timber, brass and concrete elements.

With everything from the building and rooms to furnishings and materials falling under Grzywinski+Pons’s remit, an all-encompassing sense of coherence and flow results in perhaps the most distinctive Locke the studio has created yet – the team having played a key role in the development of the brand’s signature style across several Locke predecessors including Eden (Edinburgh), Leman (London), Whitworth (Manchester) and Broken Wharf (London again).

“Cognisant of our responsibility to consider the larger urban context of our site, we specified materials and defined our formal language to temper the architectonic jump from the smaller historic buildings to more recent tall developments,” Grzywinski+Pons explain. “Being able to design the exterior and interior simultaneously afforded us a great opportunity to capitalise on architectural advantages we created and curate a truly integrated experience from within and without.”

Comprising a coffee shop, co-working space, pantry, restaurant and workout studio, the main public spaces are framed from the street by a parabolic arch within the double-height entrance space, which also supports a mezzanine above. Fluted panelling and clay plaster set the tone of contemporary sanctuary, whilst snatches of brick cladding reflect the building’s exterior accents and so too the original vernacular that remains of the Aldgate neighbourhood.

But where hints of this style can also be observed in the nearby Leman Locke – set less than a minute’s walk across the street – Buckle Street Studios has been instilled with its own character – more mature, with a keener sense of the artistic. So where the former might skew younger, this newest member plays to a more established millennial clientele. This is thanks to the aforementioned new additions; the concept store and makers space allowing guests to purchase homeware elements of the design for a true Locke living experience in their own homes. Characterised by a series of rhombic porcelain vitrines, this portion sees limited edition pieces by sneaker designer AfroKickz, ceramicist Ally Powell and artist Dion Kitson, showcased within a seamless extension of the organic interior aesthetic and its neutral velvet tones and raw materials.

“The space, like the contents of the vitrines, lies at the crossroads of art and commerce,” the studio adds. “Equal parts gallery, lounge, coffee shop, retail concept and living room, the space beckons to the street and is as welcoming as it is inscrutable. It is our hope that passers-by will feel compelled to come inside to further discern what, exactly, it is, and then feel free to get comfortable and stay a while.”

The design template set out below translates to guestroom and apartment spaces as a cast of Ultrasuede upholstery, clay plaster walls and cross-sawn timber flooring, all illuminated warmly through the low iron glass blocks that punctuate the exterior. Likewise, the timber balustrade of the public space carries through as tiered tables and timber trays, organised within the low-footprint floor plans that draw inspiration from boat cabins to ensure the spaces never stray too close to claustrophobic. Brushed brass finishes add points of bright interest amidst the quiet style, and when lit at night, these private spaces exude a welcoming glow from the building’s enclosed glass crown, animating the architecture as intended by its designers: a modernist lighthouse from which to explore the capital.

“Buckle Street Studios is the cherry on top of an exceptionally busy year of new openings across Europe for Locke,” notes Eric Jafari, Chief Development Officer and Creative Director, Locke. “The project is another masterstroke in design by Grzywinski+Pons and an example of how hotels as spaces are evolving to become increasingly hybrid and versatile.”

Photography: Nicholas Worley