High standards

A bright red exterior lift takes visitors up to the hotel’s 10th floor restaurant

The original Brutalist exterior contrasts with colourful, playful interiors at The Standard’s first London hotel

Shawn Hausman and SHD principal Jessica Kimberley created the interiors

The Standard’s first hotel outside of the US has opened in north London, with interiors by Shawn Hausman inspired by the ‘colourful’ history of the area, from punk rock bands to ‘the mischievous underbelly of King’s Cross’.

The 266 room hotel is housed in the former Camden Town Hall Annex, a 1974 Brutalist structure opposite St Pancras station, and features three restaurants – one accessed by a scarlet exterior lift – a bar-come library and a large outdoor terrace.

The colour scheme is bolder than The Standard’s other hotels, with bright colours chosen to contrast with the Brutalist concrete exterior and the greyness of London’s skies, according to Hausman.

Hausman – who began his career as a production assistant on Saturday Night Fever and is also responsible for the interiors at Standard hotels in Hollywood, Miami, Downtown LA and East Village New York – said he tried to bring a sense of fun to the former town hall annex.

“We tried to take over in a friendly way – keeping the essence, but almost as if California rebels had taken over a government building and made it more free-spirited,” he said of the interior scheme.

Hausman worked with Archer Humphryes Architects, who were responsible for the interior architecture, while Orms architects carried out the wider conversion of the office building to its new use. The curved corners of the building are echoed inside many of the bedrooms, which feature curved window seats, bright blue carpets and bathrooms featuring playful striped tiling. Some of the suites feature hot tubs and custom timber cabinetry and seating.

Downstairs, oversized blue revolving doors lead guests to a reception desk which sits in front of an original commissioned ceramic installation by North London based artist Lubna Chowdhary. This leads through into the library lounge, which features a DJ booth and a 1970s/1980sinspired library curated by writer and artist Carrie MacLennan.

A new glass build extension has been added to the roof of the building; this will house a 10th floor Latin-inspired restaurant – opening in October – accessed by a bright red exterior lift.

The Standard Kings Cross marks the first in a planned series of hotel openings for the brand, with properties planned for the Maldives, Milan, Paris, Lisbon, Bordeaux, Mexico City, Bangkok, Jakarta, Ko Samui, Phuket and Chicago. The chain currently has five hotels, in Hollywood, LA, Miami Beach, and in New York’s East Village and Meatpacking district.

The eighth floor Suite Terrace is inspired by ‘Californian cool’

The curved corners of the building are echoed inside many of the bedrooms

The ground floor restaurant features velvet seating and a mosaic-detail floor

The Cozy Core rooms have been designed so the lack of windows becomes an asset

Unusual wall coverings, custom seating and lighting create striking interiors