Destination Report: a design-led guide to Manchester

Considered by many the UK’s ‘second city’, over the past decade Manchester has flourished into a vibrant, culturally-rich metropolis of coworking spaces, bars, restaurants and hotels – with a creaking at the joints pipeline too. For visitors and natives alike, there’s much to discover. We chart the best places to work on the go, stay and socialise in the the heart of the Northern Powerhouse. 

Work

Bloc, Bruntwood

The reimagining of a 16-storey office block has introduced a number of quality new workspaces, amenities and technology that have all been designed to improve workplace wellbeing and boost productivity for Bloc’s diverse community of businesses. A focus on biophilia and sustainability has also been included through the installation of an innovative, two-storey living wall that provides oxygen and helps reduce noise levels and a blue/green roof that reduces the discharge of rainwater and features wildflowers to support biodiversity and provide an additional thermal barrier. Read more

What: office space, coworking, meeting rooms, on-site café, day pass
Where: Marble St, Manchester M2 3AW
bruntwood.co.uk

Clockwise Manchester

Linley House offers a mix of private offices and event spaces, as well as a club lounge and dedicated desk memberships. A former electrical station that powered the entire city, Clockwise Manchester’s design boasts the building’s heritage and a retro colour palette to represent the decade the building was constructed in. Designed by Hawkins\Brown and Fairhursts Design Group, chosen finishes include original style terrazzo features, glazed tiles, 60s style pattern and upholstery fabrics, retro light fittings, dark walnut timbers, and anodised metals which all reflect the era of the building. Read more

What: dedicated desks, office space, coworking, onsite cafe
Where: Linley House, Dickinson St, Manchester M1 4LF
work-clockwise.com

Huckletree, Ancoats

Huckletree Ancoats has taken inspiration from the art deco design of the building it sits within and from Memphis, the avant-garde art movement that was active at the time the building was constructed. Huckletree and OBi channelled that bold mentality, but with a more elevated palette featuring pastel pinks, yolk yellow and soft mint shades, plus signature graduating stripes. Members can attend gigs in the Live Lounge, channel creative thinking in the no-tech neon-lit meditation zone, The Imaginarium, and create content in the Podcast Studio.

What: office space, coworking, meeting rooms, day pass
Where: Brown St, Manchester M2 1DH
huckletree.com

Colony, Piccadilly

A short walk from Manchester’s main station, collaboration is encouraged at Colony Piccadilly, which offers a laid-back space that sits around a main social bar and café. Designed by Manchester studio Youth, a palette of ‘raw but refined’ materials and an industrial design language fills various work settings.

What: dedicated desks, office space, coworking, day pass, onsite bar and cafe
Where: 5 Piccadilly, Aytoun Street, Manchester M1 3BR
colonyco.work

Work.Life Manchester

Designed by Two, Work.Life’s first Manchester outpost is inspired by the city’s industrial history – with raw materials giving the space a modern-industrial edge, sourced from old buildings from around the city. Shared work zones offer space for creative collaboration, with little nooks for independent freelancers and comfy chill-out spots for focused work or well-deserved breaks. Combined with the quotes and other Manchester themed-elements, modern wall art, and biophilia, the space is as practical as it is visually motivating. Read more

What: office space, coworking, meeting rooms
Where: Brown St, Manchester M2 1DH
work.life

Stay

Native, Ducie Street

Spread across eight floors in a former Victorian cotton warehouse located close to Manchester Piccadilly Station and Northern Quarter, Native is an aparthotel with 166 apartments including eight penthouse apartments with private outdoor terraces. In the UK’s largest aparthotel offering, guests can choose between studios and one-to-two-bedroom units that sit next to and above an all-day bistro, coworking space, cocktail bar, barber and flower shop on a double-height ground floor. Inside, the property has retained its original wide cast-iron columns and exposed brickwork, contrasted with blues and reds to nod to the building’s industrial past.  

Where: Ducie St Warehouse, Manchester M1 2TP 
nativeplaces.com

The Alan, Princess Street

The Alan’s six storeys are contained within a stately Grade II* listed building. Echoing Manchester’s industrial sensibility, many of the building’s existing materials and features have been carefully uncovered to reveal its past, while also refreshed to create new focal points. The dramatic lobby floor is made from a collage of fragmented and discarded marble pieces and exposed brick walls and double height ceilings are found throughout. 

Alongside the sleeping quarters, the Red Deer-designed property features Situ, their 220-standing events area, a bar, coworking space and open-plan kitchen led by the acclaimed chef, James Hulme – famous for his cult confit chips. Read more

Where: 18 Princess St, Manchester M1 4LG 
thealanhotel.com

Whitworth Locke, Civic Quarter

Looking at Manchester’s Victorian era for inspiration, New York-based practice Grzywinski + Pons overhauled three former cotton mills next to the city’s Rochdale Canal and turned them into Whitworth Locke, a 160-bed hotel featuring a coworking space, bar and café.  

Removing the 1980s thoroughfare that once divided the place, Grzywinski + Pons implemented an opulent glass atrium to connect the buildings, made up of simple iron framework. Directly underneath lies pop-up bar and lounge space The Conservatory, with greenery winding down over a sunshine-yellow drinks counter and potted plants dotted throughout its seating areas; an ideal setting to host the venue’s lengthy events calendar.  

Where: 74 Princess St, Manchester M1 6JD 
lockeliving.com 

Leonardo Piccadilly, Piccadilly 

Built by Capital & Centric, Leonardo Piccadilly is often referred to as the ‘Jenga’ building due to its distinctive exterior tower blocks dressed in greenery. With interiors by NoChintz, guests are greeted to elegantly pared-back and modern interiors – with muted tones – throughout all 275 ensuite rooms, each featuring Leonardo Hotels’ signature DREAM bed. Applying Leonardo di Vinci’s rule of thirds, each of the hotel’s rooms play with the senses thanks to the clever input of haptic design techniques. The hotel’s main bar continues this intrigue with cut-out squares that spell ‘Welcome to Manchester’ in morse code. If you know, you know. Read more

Where: 260 Great Ancoats St, Manchester M4 7DB 
leonardohotels.co.uk

Moxy, Spinningfields

Multidisciplinary studio Ica turned a site in the city’s ‘finer’ neighbourhood into 147 guestrooms with a living-room-style lobby and stylish bar on the ground floor for gathering and socialising. The building’s exterior has been clad in weathered metal panels, providing an urban contrast to the surrounding area, while the inside preserves a modern and industrial feel with local-inspired artwork, illustrations and illuminated signs across the lobby. In the bedrooms guests will find walk-in showers, TVs pre-installed with Netflix and motion-activated LED guidelights. Designed with social media-lovers in mind, Moxy Manchester features a digital ‘guestbook’ wall that visitors can stream photos onto. 

Where: 8 Atkinson Street, Manchester M3 3HH 
marriott.com 

Eat & drink

Kitten

Jolie has used its expertise in sensory-led interior design to create Kitten, an Instagram-worthy Japanese Izakaya and cocktail bar in central Manchester. Echoing the grandeur of the 200-metre-high skyscraper in which it sits, the cavernous interior of Kitten features an impactful triple height entryway, with huge archways on the wall behind the central bar offering a cathedral-like experience.

Where: 9 Deansgate, Owen Street, Manchester M15 4YB
kittenrestaurant.com

Ducie Street Warehouse

Located in one of Manchester’s iconic Victorian redbrick buildings, Ducie Street Warehouse’s industrial heritage is celebrated in cast-iron columns and plenty of exposed brickwork. Brought to life by Loren Daye and Archer Humphryes Architects, the community-led space transitions seamlessly from day to night – from a coworking and brunch spot to cocktail bar, mini cinema and an 80-seat restaurant.

Where: Ducie St Warehouse, Manchester M1 2TP
duciestreet.com

Dishoom

Set within a former Freemason’s Lodge, the Macauley Sinclair-designed restaurant continues Dishoom’s ‘Bombay Irani’ café atmosphere, with original period pieces sourced directly from Mumbai by the designers. Furniture and lighting from bazaars and marketplaces are restored, including an original teak ‘in-out’ board that greets guests at the entrance. Yellow upholstered banquettes sit under the building’s historic glass windows, with original parquet and marble floors adding a touch of grandeur to your breakfast-naan wrap.

Where: 32 Bridge St, Manchester M3 3BT
dishoom.com

New Century Hall

New Century revives a forgotten part of Manchester’s cultural heritage, opening in 2022 after a thoughtful restoration and reimagining by Sheppard Robson and Sheila Bird Studio. Once host the stars of 1960s pop culture, the Grade II listed modernist building lay dormant for decades – now home to a live music venue and bustling multi-kitchen restaurant, complete with mid-century-cool furniture and accessories. 

Where: 34 Hanover St, Manchester M4 4AH
newcenturymcr.com