The test of time: In conversation with David Collins Studio

This article first appeared in Mix Interiors #231

Words: Harry McKinley

It’s a bright mid-week morning and the lounge at Nobu Hotel London Portland Square is abuzz – a mix of casually dressed, coffee-supping residents; briefcase-toting, suited workers easing into informal start-of-day meetings; and the odd neighbourhood local, pouring over the broadsheets with a pot of tea and pain au chocolat.

Generally the hotel lounge is, in that sense, a very particular beast: a place to convene, a place to unwind and a place to burn time; a post checkout hangout or a spot for a pre-supper snifter. At Nobu that means plenty of plush low seating in moss green, aubergine and oatmeal; a snazzy central bar clad in Deco shapes; and adjustable ambient lighting. It’s a different attitude from the adjacent lobby – double height and rendered mostly in elegant taupe. As with the restaurant and terrace, these common spaces were both designed by David Collins Studio, a practice synonymous with statement-making timelessness.