As you know, I sometimes visit hotels, mainly in London, so here’s another one seen recently.The Café Royal, originally founded in the mid-19th century by Frenchman Daniel Nicholas Thévenon (who anglicised his name to Daniel Nicols), reopened last year after almost four years of restoration. The “N” monogrammes found throughout the original building are apparently in honour of Napoleon Bonaparte, not Daniel Nicols.
The interiors are very obviously done by an architect (David Chipperfield) whose detailing of marble, bronze and wood for the public areas and bathrooms is glorious.
The living and sleeping areas though are a little too austere for many though the views are wonderful.
I know that some styling changes have already been made to soften the look, particularly in the restaurant which, to my mind, don’t sit convincingly with the original design. I’m sure more tweaking will happen at a later date.
Leave a Reply