Bermonds Locke, London – England

A surreal, iridescent haven, inspired by California’s Joshua Tree and Mojave desert. The desert-inspired aesthetic begins with a moonlit reception bathed in a glittering mirage created by overhead mirrors, inspired by The Weather Project by Olafur Eliasson. In the tranquil pursuit of both business and pleasure, visitors can meander through open co-working spaces basking in soft light – with swing chairs, fixed concrete banquette seating, and suspended planters punctuating the space between bar and restaurant.Concrete testing cubes destined for landfill find new purpose at Bermonds Locke, serving as plinths for a six-metre long terrazzo table in the ground floor workspace, and shaped into a bar frontage that will serve Bermondsey’s Beer Mile’s finest beer atop its surface.Repurposed steel rebar and clay bricks form decorative ironwork and joinery elements throughout the space. Bringing the changing gradient of the desert sunset to South London, Locke’s signature functional living rooms on the upper floors will be dipped in blue, beige, and grey hues and saturated vibrant reds on the lower floors. Rough-sawn timber floors welcome a patina to be marked with steps trodden.Capturing the psychedelic experience of Joshua Tree underpins the design narrative. An industrial process of zinc-passivation creates an iridescent rainbow finish that will be found on bar tops, wall paneling, and echoed by fluted polarising glass sliding partitions in the rooms. This metal-dipping process forms a patina over the metal, embedding the desert sky into the hotel’s DNA.

Text description: Holloway Li