NoMad London Hotel, Covent Garden Interior Renovation, Building Restoration, Architecture Photos

NoMad London Hotel in Covent Garden

28 Feb 2022

NoMad London on 2022 RIBA London architecture awards shortlist

NoMad London Hotel is one of 68 projects shortlisted for the 2022 RIBA London architecture awards:

2022 RIBA London Awards shortlist

18 May 2021

NoMad London Hotel Refurbishment

Design: Roman and Williams

Location: 4 Bow St, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 7AT, UK

New-York based hospitality company, Sydell Group, opens NoMad London, the first international property for The NoMad Hotel brand, in the historic former Magistrate’s Court in the heart of London’s West End.

Located in Covent Garden, opposite The Royal Opera House, NoMad London takes residence in the Grade II-listed building famously known as The Bow Street Magistrates’ Court and Police Station. This is the brand’s most intimate property at 91 rooms including 21 suites, centred around several exquisite dining and drinking spaces in the NoMad tradition.

The property is the Sydell Group’s second venture in London, following the company’s partnership with Ron Burkle and Soho House to open The Ned. Sydell Group’s Founder Andrew Zobler, has earned a reputation for his ability to transform historic buildings into meaningful hospitality experiences that preserve their historic spirit and bring them back to new life. Sydell Group has partnered with Doha-based investment firm BTC to launch the London outpost.

Bringing together the finest creative talents in architecture, design, art curation, food, beverage, and hospitality, each NoMad explores the artistic, cultural and historic interplay between its home city of New York and European culture. In London, NoMad lends its residential warmth and casual elegance to the storied building, layering it with rich interiors and a playful spirit that is decidedly NoMad.

In collaboration with New York-based interior design studio, Roman and Williams, the transformation of the historic 19th century building draws inspiration from the building’s history and its location in Covent Garden, as well as exploring the artistic and cultural connection between London and New York. Grounded in this narrative, and an ethos rooted in creating voltage by uniting complementary forces, the masculine character of the historic architecture is animated with interjections of femininity, glamour, and a cosmopolitan spirit. This is expressed through richly textured fabrics, aesthetic woodwork and ethereal murals.

The opening of the hotel comes on the heels of Roman and Williams’ most recent opening of the British Galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Robin Standefer, co-founder of Roman and Williams, says: “The spirit of the London NoMad is collected and fundamentally residential. It embraces a New Romanticism that has a powerful contrast with the grit and strength of the courthouse. From rich textured textiles to aesthetic inspired woodwork to ethereal murals, the space evokes a grand residence but always tempered with a bohemian spirit that Stephen and I infuse into every Roman and Williams project.”

Stephen Alesch, co-founder of Roman and Williams, says: “With all our projects we want people to feel comfortable and curious. On a journey of discovery that is familiar even if it’s from a dream they may have had. The Nomad is meant to be beautiful, bohemian and evocative all at once. The building is so powerful and remarkable that you are embraced by its strength, while the rich and textured interiors balance the bones. There is a tension between this muscularity and softness that creates a powerful narrative for the guest. There are many stories to discover and hopefully to create.”

NoMad London is also home to a world-class art programme that celebrates the influence of post-war American art and the European avant-garde. A collaboration with long-time Sydell creative partners, be-poles, the hotel accommodates a curation of over 1,600 collected and commissioned works by a variety of British and international artists that lends a deeply layered narrative to the hotel experience.

For the first time in a NoMad hotel, abstract art is featured in reference to the Abstract Expressionist movement, which represents a significant moment in New York’s influence on modern art.

Antoine Ricardou, founder of studio be-poles, says: “The art for NoMad London was carefully curated to explore the exchange of creative ideas between New York and London. The full collection is not only a unique ode to the neighborhood of Covent Garden and the Royal Opera House across the street, but to the NoMad’s American roots, creating a rich narrative that blends photographs, sculptures, ceramics, paintings, drawings and more.”

As in all NoMad properties, food and beverage plays an integral role in the experience with a host of dining and drinking experiences throughout and is overseen by Executive Chef Ashley Abodeely. The hospitality and dining room teams will be overseen by Food & Beverage Director and NoMad NYC opening alum, Chris Perone.

At the heart of the hotel, The NoMad Restaurant is housed in a lush, light-filled atrium evocative of an Edwardian greenhouse and is open five days a week (Tuesday to Saturday). Side Hustle is NoMad’s version of a British pub with a decidedly New York sensibility and a playful spirit, serving a menu of sharing plates paired with an agave-based list of spirits created by legendary mixologist Leo Robitschek and the award-winning NoMad Bar team.

The Library is the living room of the hotel where guests can enjoy light fare, coffee and tea, and cocktails amidst a thoughtful collection of books. Coming further down the line, Common Decency, is the first-ever NoMad lounge, and is nestled in a subterranean playground, offering a lively East London style craft cocktail bar complemented by elements of West End establishments.

NoMad London also offers over 9,000 square feet of elegant and adaptable space for weddings, events, meetings and private dining. The building’s original Magistrates’ Courtroom, now the Magistrates’ Ballroom, has been re-imagined as a formal space with two adjacent private dining rooms, a separate bar, and a dedicated entrance from the street using the original courtroom’s entrance.

A unique part of the hotel will also be the Bow Street Police Museum which pays homage to the building’s colourful past both as a police station for over 100 years and as a Magistrates’ Court.

Following government guidelines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, NoMad London will adhere to regulations, including the appropriate PPE for restaurant and hotel personnel.

Room rates, starting from £455
Please visit thenomadhotel.com for more information

NoMad Hotels
Grounded in the idea of the hotel as a great home layered with stories and animated by the collective spirit of its inhabitants, NoMad is our vision of an artfully lived life.

NoMad’s restaurants and bars celebrate the interplay between grand and intimate, classical and colloquial, festive moments of revelry and quiet meals that nourish the spirit. The offering is a reflection of the season, the place and the gracious, creative talent of the NoMad team that brings it to life.

Hotelier Andrew Zobler founded New York-based hospitality company, Sydell Group. In London, Zobler opened The Ned in partnership with Ron Burkle and Soho House. For NoMad London, he has partnered with Doha based investment firm BTC.

Sydell Group
Sydell Group is the creator and manager of unique hotels deeply rooted in their location and architecture. Sydell’s core expertise is an ability to collaborate with original talent within the world of design, food & beverage, and retail, and bring them together in the creation of compelling new hotels that engage the communities around them. Sydell Group’s diverse portfolio of award-winning properties include The NoMad, New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas; The LINE LA, DC and Austin; Park MGM Las Vegas; and The Ned, London.
www.sydellgroup.com

Roman and Williams
Credited with disrupting the hospitality industry by creating an alternative to the ‘boutique’ hotel Roman and Williams is known for their work on such projects as Ace Hotel New York, The Boom Boom Room at the Standard High Line, and the historic Chicago Athletic Association Hotel. Their restaurants have received extensive praise, including Le Coucou, with Stephen Starr and Chef Daniel Rose, which was named New York City’s top restaurant of 2016 by the New York Times.

In another project of cultural and civic significance, the firm is collaborating on the re-design of the British Galleries at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Roman and Williams has received numerous accolades for their approach, including the prestigious 2014 National Design Award for excellence in Interior Design and a recurring presence in Architectural Digest’s Top 100 Designers. Robin and Stephen were cited by Fast Company in 2016 as two of the most Creative People in Business.

be-poles and Portraits de Villes
be-poles is a Paris and New York-based narrative design studio that breathes creative, 360-degree storytelling into hospitality and lifestyle brands. Their work encompasses architecture, interior design, branding, illustration, publishing, furniture design, amenity design and curating art collections for hotels, restaurants and retail spaces. Their clients include Sydell Group and NoMad Hotels, Four Seasons, Perseus Properties, Le Barn Hôtel, Hôtel Le Pigalle, Eleven Madison Park, Les Sources de Cheverny, Cyril Lignac, Moet Hennessy, and more. be-poles reveals the soul of a project, immersing it in graceful wabi-sabi, the Japanese philosophy that extols beauty in the impertinence of things, and the unexpectedness of happy accidents. For more information follow @bepoles on Instagram or visit www.be-poles.com. Shop be-poles-designed objects and books on www.shop.be-poles.com.

BTC
Business Trading Company, also known as BTC was established in 1997 to fill the void which existed in Qatar for a retail environment offering the perfect mix of shopping, dining, and entertainment opportunities. Today BTC is famous both in Qatar and the entire GCC region for its proven expertise in the development and management of premium shopping malls, entertainment, real estate, and high-end retail brands. Ever since its inception, BTC has set exemplary high standards of excellence in all its areas of expertise. With the advent of every new project, the BTC has successfully raised and exceeded the standard it set.