If you’ve visited the United Kingdom many times, but you haven’t enjoyed your stay, then you probably weren’t familiar with the Artist Residences. This is basically a series of 5 boutique hotels in England which offer to you fun in a luxurious and intimate setting to spend pleasant moments with art.
But let’s start from the beginning ..
The story…
There is a story here… Everything started in 2006 when one of the founders, Justin, decided to leave the university at the age of 20, after his mothers’ accident, and help in their B&B family in Brighton. As he managed to book all the rooms for the whole weekend, the idea of being a hotelier started to grow on him. The decision for a renovation came a little later, but there weren’t any money so Justin had a brilliant idea. Inspired by Brighton’s art scene, he published an ad for artistes, asking them to decorate the rooms in exchange for their stay. Many artists responded and rushed to the place to decorate the walls, floors and roofs with special frescoes, some of which still exist today. That’s how Artist Residence was born. His girlfriend, Charlie, also helped him with the concept. After three years, the couple renovated an abandoned manor house in West Cornwall, and in 2014, with hard work, they expanded to London by opening a townhouse. This time, however, they perfected their design by adding unique style art and paying more attention to food and drink, creating a restaurant and a bar in each place to attract not just visitors but also the locals. In the beginning of 2017 they continued their brilliant journey by opening an eccentric English pansion just outside beautiful Oxford, while the next hotel will host the lucky visitors in the center of Bristol in 2018.
The Artist Residence chain includes 4 restaurants and 3 bars.
The Cambridge Street Kitchen: a social meeting place hidden in the streets of Pimlico of London where you can enjoy your coffee, breakfast, lunch or dinner. There is also Appetitive time 4-7pm.
The Set: here you can taste delicious British dishes in a cozy and friendly restaurant of 20 seats in Brighton.
The Cornish Barn: a rustic restaurant, bar and smoking area with a healthy menu of fresh Cornwall products and local wines.
Mr Hanbury’s Mason Arms: with head chef Leon Smith, you will enjoy the Oxford countryside with vegetables from the garden, local meats and dairy products.
Clarendon Cocktail Cellar: in a beautiful renovated space that in 1852 gentlemen and ladies of the area (Pimlico) enjoyed their drinks, you will have the opportunity to taste the delicious bartender’s cocktail.
The Cocktail Shack: a fun and trendy bar hidden inside Regency’s Brighton house will offer you the most creative and unique drinks in the area.
The Curious Mr Hanbury: it’s a cozy corner of Cornwall, where inventive cocktails are prepared around Mr Hanbury’s trips, accompanied by stories from his apprentices.
Artist Residence London
A few words about the award-winning hotel…
Artist Residence London is a small, 10-room boutique hotel located on a quiet street in Pimlico near downtown London, home to the British Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Kings Road shopping district, Oxford Street and the Knightsbridge. Its individually designed rooms are decorated with vintage elements and industrial furniture, in luxury dosages, generously offering a perfect escape from the bustle of the city. This special rustic luxury art hotel has 2 Suites and 8 “House Rooms”.
The room of “Club Suite”
The bathroom of the “Grand Suite”
The room of Grand Suite
The pieces that decorate the rooms are selected by Justin and Charlie, and come from various art exhibitions and independent art galleries such as Art Republic, Lawrence Alkin, Nelly Duff and Tag Fine Arts. The colors of Think Farrow & Ball meet the exposed brick, the old tea boxes are turned into a bedside table, the Belgian work tables are used as offices, and the wooden parquet has been recovered from an old school. Mattress comfort, 100% cotton bed linen, fluffy towels, luxurious motif and linen fabrics, rain shower, flat-screen TV, Wi-Fi, small refrigerators full of local products, coffee and tea are some of the amenities offered by Artist Residence London. That is why in 2016 was awarded “London Hotel of The Year” Cesar Award 2016 by the Good Hotel Guide.
The restaurant “The Cambridge Street Kitchen” of the hotel
Dish from the “Daytime” menu with English ingredients
The Clarendon Cocktail Cellar of hotel
The cocktail “Driving Miss Daisy” of Clarendon Cocktail Cellar
The cocktail “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
The hotel includes The Cambridge Street Kitchen restaurant decorated with vintage elements, wooden tables, school chairs and an open kitchen with a tall bar and stool where the visitors can enjoy the special tastes of the chef with the local patrons. The Clarendon Cocktail Cellar is housed in the basement of the hotel and serves cocktail inspired by legendary films in a vintage environment decorated with library shelves, leather stools, vintage lamps, ping-pong and artwork by Lawrence Alkin Gallery. “Titanic” is one of the cocktails to try, as it is a pink blend of Plymouth Gin and Dry Vermouth that is literally served within an iceberg.
The cocktail “Titanic” is accompanied by an iceberg
These are just some of the experiences that one can experience in the Artist Residence hotel chain. Whatever you choose whether to stay or go by there for fun, one thing is certain that you will be pleased. Justin and Charlie have as their priority the visitors’ satisfaction. We congratulate them for their effort and wish them to continue making our accommodation and entertainment more enjoyable in beautiful England.
All photos come from the official site of the Artist Residence chain.
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