Ruby Hotels have been shortlisted for Hotel Under 200 Rooms – Europe Award in The International Hotel and Property Awards 2020.
Ruby Lucy’s interior design is inspired by the Southbank’s bustling fairs and markets, entertainment and theatre scene, with a carnival theme running throughout the hotel. As this is Ruby Hotels’ first project in the UK, their brief was to highlight everything the hotel brand has to offer in this jewel box of a hotel. Falling in love with the location of the quirky Lower Marsh, it was important for Ruby Hotels to create a space that would reflect the unique character of the neighbourhood whilst adding their own creative spin.
The design works well because it was done with confidence and sensitivity. The public areas are fun and inviting with lots of great details and found objects for guests to discover, such as the vintage hand-crank busking organ (including over 30 song cards) that the designers found after months of searching and now works beautifully to greet guests as they enter the hotel.
The design story was applied with much more subtlety to the guest rooms. Here Ruby Hotels created spaces that are flooded with light and are a getaway from the bustle of the city. A subdued colour palette and rich materials work together to create a haven for guests to relax.
A great design is always the sum of its parts, and so the architecture and design work hand-in-hand at Ruby Lucy to create a building that truly adds to the neighbourhood; noticeable yet not overpowering. The lively, colourful interiors combined with large windows on the ground floor attract the neighbourhood into the public spaces and complement the lively mix of shops, bars and pubs found at Lower Marsh.
There are many aspects of the history of the area which Ruby Hotels used to influence the design story significantly. The architecture of the building references the narrow, village-like shop fronts surrounding the hotel, with the main facade divided into a number of bays. The public spaces are fun and lively yet on a smaller scale. A great bar is the heart of all Ruby Hotels, so the developers created a colourful, glowing centrepiece for Ruby Lucy, where lots of colour was used in the loose furnishings as well, all of which are vintage.
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