A stay at Blakes Hotel can be counted as a special and memorable experience indeed. If there is a hotel anywhere that should be included in "Shelter Porn" this is definitely it. Dark and decadent, our room was a warm cave, print room and classic boudoir rolled into one, with Turkish, Indian and English Georgian influences.
The bathtub was amazing, and I got to really enjoy it on a couple of occasions when I was jetlagged and insomniac....lying there in the bubbles at 4am, examining the prints that line the walls. Minimalist and modernist it is not...it is an ode to excess and luxury, and I cannot imagine the person who would not savour its charms.
Claiming to be one of the first 2 boutique hotels in the world, Blakes was created by fashion designer and former Bond girl Anouska Hempel in 1978 . Celebrity clientele include Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Moss, and Jean Paul Gaultier regards it as his home when in London.
The only blight on our stay was some noisy renovation work , and one side of the building facade was under tarps.
I just read this week that it is up for sale, room by room (there are 40 of them), prices starting at a million pounds each, for a 99 year leasehold.
Hope it doesn't mean we will not be able to stay there again.
i am sincerely humbled by the comparison of our lives at this juncture. i am simultaneously inspired by you, your photos, and your appreciation for your surroundings. i appreciate your desire to share in the beauty and bountifulness of it all. lovely.
ReplyDeleteHey, Its not all gorgeous hotel rooms and bubble baths. Today was a sweaty an messy photoshoot day with a 10 year old. Fun, but not glamorous!
ReplyDeleteAnd when the decadent luxury arrives, I savour it to the fullest!
and you inspire me to achieve it someday. "sweaty ten year old" EW
ReplyDeleteThe ten year old was delightful....I was sweaty. Scrambling and climbing about hanging blackout on the windows in the guest bedroom, and setting up studio lighting.
ReplyDeleteAs for Blakes, let it be noted that we got the tube from Heathrow, and lugged our suitcases the last few blocks. Yeah, come to think of it, we were probably a bit sweaty when we arrived at this haven of beauty and luxury!
I love the floor!
ReplyDeleteThe floor was SO creaky. Each time I walked on it, I thought of the poor people below us....
ReplyDeleteBlakes has picked up a lot of criticism lately for being shabby, impractical and overdue for a major renovation.
Personally, I think that considering that it was created 30 years ago, it has transcended design fads, worn amazingly well, and it is the epitomy of grand, eccentric English style.