Project name: Marriott Maida Vale
Category: Hotel Over 200 Rooms Europe
Location: Maida Vale, London
Date completed: January 2017
Interior designer: Anita Rosato

Anita Rosato was tasked with the complete renovation of Marriott Maida Vale Hotel Guest rooms re-invented to accommodate the existing partition walls, mindful to minimise interventions such as chasing of walls and ceilings and to minimise the rearrangement of MEP services. With a relatively tight budget appropriate for this property, ARID’s (Anita Rosato Interior Design’s) task was to bridge the intents of the very individual owners with that of the brand. Whilst the owners were happy for the designers to attend to the brand’s directives, they wanted the Hotel to be distinctive, subtly relevant, lighthearted and uncomplicated. Their task was to tick a lot of boxes, offering a robust, timeless, locally relevant, fun and easy-to-use design, suitable for both business and leisure guests, within budget and on time. Architectural definition, contemporary aesthetic, visual dimensions and layering, it had to be designed and thoughtful with clean lines and intelligence.

The rooms are really very calm and whilst restrained and are full of purposeful design. The joinery elements have an important role within the room, clean lined with a geometric almost retail reference; they are a piece of art in themselves, carefully designed, crafted not to be bulky, but practical, easy to use, and beautifully styled. With details such as seen with the open drawers, hanging space and removable tea tray, a discreet housing of the mini bar and safe, the units are bespoke to each room and all are finished with leather handles, high quality textures and real wood laminates. The iconic image of the infamous four striding out across the zebra crossing; one bare foot, one in a swanky white suit, another in black, whilst the other, at the back in denim, is fundamental to the schemes at Maida Vale.

The grainy photograph awash with references to the sixties, a time when music and fashion were so intertwined and London became a hub of expression to the world. The 60’s Volkswagen Beetle and London Black cab are now renowned worldwide, as is the iconic Vespa, a sculpture of which sits atop of the mini bar in each room. The theme and inspiration throughout the guest-rooms has remained faithful to the 60’s theme and more importantly this one image. This one image inspired the colour scheme of black, white and blush and has been translated into today’s modern era as a very modern and elegant scheme. All the elements have had many months of design development and are bespoke pieces, designed in answer to the ever-changing and challenging expectations of the modern world-wide traveller, whether business or leisure. These are rooms that the traveller will not only find beautifully thought out but they will also enjoy the subtle reference to their location, as well as the ease of using the room from the moment they enter.