New-York based hospitality company, Sydell Group, has unveiled a first look at NoMad London, opening later this month.
Located in Covent Garden, opposite The Royal Opera House, the first international NoMad property takes residence in the Grade II-listed building famously known as The Bow Street Magistrates’ Court and Police Station. NoMad London will be the brand’s most intimate property at 91 rooms including 21 suites, centred around several dining and drinking spaces in the NoMad tradition.
Bringing together the finest creative talents in architecture, design, art curation, food, beverage, and hospitality, each NoMad explores the artistic, cultural and historic interplay between its home city of New York and European culture. The London outpost lends its residential warmth and casual elegance to the storied building, layering it with rich interiors and a playful spirit that is decidedly NoMad.
In collaboration with New York-based interior design studio, Roman and Williams, the transformation of the historic 19th century structure draws inspiration from the building’s history and its location in Covent Garden, as well as exploring the artistic and cultural connection between London and New York.
Grounded in this narrative, and an ethos rooted in creating voltage by uniting complementary forces, the masculine character of the historic architecture is animated with interjections of femininity, glamour, and a cosmopolitan spirit. This is expressed through richly textured fabrics, aesthetic woodwork and ethereal murals.
“The spirit of the London NoMad is collected and fundamentally residential,” says Robin Standefer, co-founder of Roman and Williams. “It embraces a New Romanticism that has a powerful contrast with the grit and strength of the courthouse. From rich textured textiles to aesthetic inspired woodwork to ethereal murals, the space evokes a grand residence but always tempered with a bohemian spirit that Stephen and I infuse into every Roman and Williams project.”
“The Nomad is meant to be beautiful, bohemian and evocative all at once,” explains Stephen Alesch, co-founder of Roman and Williams. “The building is so powerful and remarkable that you are embraced by its strength, while the rich and textured interiors balance the bones. There is a tension between this muscularity and softness that creates a powerful narrative for the guest.”
NoMad London is also home to a world-class art programme that celebrates the influence of post-war American art and the European avant-garde. A collaboration with long-time Sydell creative partners, be-poles, the hotel accommodates a curation of over 1,600 collected and commissioned works by a variety of British and international artists that lends a deeply layered narrative to the hotel experience.
For the first time in a NoMad project, abstract art is featured in reference to the Abstract Expressionist movement, which represents a significant moment in New York’s influence on modern art.
“The art for NoMad London was carefully curated to explore the exchange of creative ideas between New York and London,” says Antoine Ricardou, founder of studio be-poles. “The full collection is not only a unique ode to the neighbourhood of Covent Garden and the Royal Opera House across the street, but to the NoMad’s American roots, creating a rich narrative that blends photographs, sculptures, ceramics, paintings, drawings and more.”
As in all NoMad properties, food and beverage plays an integral role in the experience with a host of dining and drinking experiences throughout and is overseen by Executive Chef Ashley Abodeely. The hospitality and dining room teams will be overseen by Food & Beverage Director and NoMad NYC opening alum, Chris Perone.
At the heart of the hotel, The NoMad Restaurant is housed in a lush, light-filled atrium evocative of an Edwardian greenhouse. Side Hustle is NoMad’s version of a British pub with a decidedly New York sensibility and a playful spirit, serving a menu of sharing plates paired with an agave-based list of spirits created by legendary mixologist Leo Robitschek and the award-winning NoMad Bar team.
The Library is the living room of the hotel where guests can enjoy light fare, coffee and tea, and cocktails amidst a thoughtful collection of books. Coming further down the line, Common Decency, is the first-ever NoMad lounge, and is nestled in a subterranean playground, offering a lively East London style craft cocktail bar complemented by elements of West End establishments.
NoMad London also offers over 9,000 square feet of elegant and adaptable space for weddings, events, meetings and private dining. The building’s original Magistrates’ Courtroom, now the Magistrates’ Ballroom, has been re-imagined as a formal space with two adjacent private dining rooms, a separate bar, and a dedicated entrance from the street using the original courtroom’s entrance.
A unique part of the hotel will also be the Bow Street Police Museum which pays homage to the building’s colourful past both as a police station for over 100 years and as a Magistrates’ Court.
