Vintry and Mercer
London’s colourful mercantile history meets contemporary edge at the City’s new destination hotel
The 92-room Vintry & Mercer, located close to St Paul’s Cathedral, includes a gym, three private event rooms, an all-day dining room on the ground floor, rooftop restaurant and bar, and a decadent underground speakeasy.
Vintry & Mercer is the second hotel by Anton Fedun, owner of The Ampersand Hotel in South Kensington, also designed by Studio Moren.
We were asked to redesign an approved scheme, which originally had bedrooms focussed around a small internal courtyard. Working within the building’s envelope, we increased the number of external aspect rooms and created a more impactful entrance. Our aim: to create a distinct bolthole where guests can relax and unwind leaving the bustle of the City behind.
Like The Ampersand Hotel, Vintry & Mercer is a one-of-a-kind property, immersed in and visually referencing the location to engage guests with the story of the hotel and its neighbourhood. Our interior design scheme is rooted in the area’s history, in particular the merchant guilds trading wines (Vintners) and fine silks (Mercers).
Signature aspects of The Ampersand Hotel, such as a feature staircase with a light sculpture, oversized grandiose headboards, bespoke hand drawn graphic wallcoverings and rich colour palette, were reinterpreted to subtly link the two properties.
Referencing the history of the area, we used specialist finishes in joinery; such as metal meshes to doors, leather wrapped niches and metal stud detailing. Hand drawn graphic maps, which merge the old City with the new, are digitally printed as wallcoverings. Bespoke carpets reflect the fabrics manufactured in the trading period and curated artwork connects to each of the guilds.
The hotel’s 92 rooms are spread across five room categories, ranging from intimate doubles to suites with glass-panelled balconies that overlook London’s Southbank skyline.
Room types are varied in their materiality and palette to reflect colours of items historically traded by the guilds, including claret, saffron and honey. Palm wallcoverings link to trading routes and herringbone carpets connect to the silk-selling Mercers.
Grandiose, oversized headboards with bespoke damask and velvet upholstery take centre stage, with room controls, reading lights and USB plugs built-in. Dressing areas are a modern play on a deconstructed travel trunk, featuring scraped textured timber veneer with brass mesh panels. Carriage-style mirrors evoke the golden age of train travel and bring additional storage.
“When designing a new hotel, the hardest thing is always to balance the impact of beautiful design and the ability for that design to remain timeless. That is why it is so important to immerse the motif in the neighbourhood story, and thereby create an authentic design unique to its location, that guests can understand and engage with. Vintry & Mercer is a series of layers that unfold to tell the story and we believe we have created something truly special.”
Patterns link to the fabrics used by the merchant tailors. The bathrooms feature coloured glazed tiles laid in a herringbone pattern, while black and white mosaic tiles create bold stripes under the bespoke marble vanities. Crittall-style glazing has been inserted into the top of the bathroom walls to filter natural light in, with fluted glass used to maintain privacy. Details such as underfloor heating, niches for toiletries, and anti-mist mirrors ensure that the spaces are both practical and beautiful.
Three meeting and event spaces – The Music Room, The Library and The Drawing Room – have been named after the entertaining rooms traditional of Georgian houses in the surrounding area. Designed to also be used as private dining rooms, the joinery has been carefully crafted to include features such as discreet coat cupboards and concealed TVs in each of the rooms. Display books and drinks cabinets create a relaxed residential feel. Bespoke Patchwork Persian inset carpets and a historic trading map decorating the ceiling of the library reflect the neighbourhood’s trade heritage.
Designed to incorporate natural light where possible, antique mirrors in The Library and The Drawing Room reflect daylight from the window inserted into the ceilings.
Vintry & Mercer runs predominantly on renewable electricity sourced from wind, solar and biomass generators. The hotel has a living roof, solar panelling, heat pump technology in the air-conditioning system, and a combined heating and power system.
Awards and nominations
- Client
- FR Holdings
- Location
- London, United Kingdom
- Status
- Completed 2019
- Uses
- Hotel
- Size
- 92 keys
- Photos
- Amy Murrell