This weekend I have discovered a very cool place, the Rough Luxe Hotel. RABIH HAGE, a designer and architect, has opened this hotel in a Georgian terraced house in London. On entering the Rough Luxe hotel you might be forgiven for thinking that the builders haven’t quite finished their work. But what you see is what you get: a fascinating blend of urban archaeology, partially sanded surfaces, bare floorboards, chipped paint and rough edges mingled with gloriously opulent contemporary wallpaper and modern art plus top quality furnishings.

Rabih’s instinct was to keep this intriguing ‘archaeology’ of interior design rather than cover it up. The rough texture of the walls now celebrates the papering, painting, priming and patching over the years. In each room the ‘deconstructed’ walls contrast with chic contemporary paper or huge murals created from photographs of interiors by MASSIMO LISTRI, creating an illusion of space and opulence.

There are nine rooms. Most have en suite bathrooms, some share and all small, intimate and comfortable.

Luxury should be an enriching personal experience and not simply the ownership or utilisation of an expensive object. It is a different definition of luxury: time for reflection, the intellectual value of objects – of art, nature, culture, our environment and the people around us, of social and cultural experiences linked to locations as well as the ‘consumable’ items; food, lifestyle objects and events

I really love this way of thinking: very intelligent concept…I wish doing the same in Basel!

and if you don’t believe me that it’s so great, just watch this video (in French)

.