Conran and Partners redesign Andaz London Liverpool Street hotel as celebration of city's diversity

Conran and Partners have redesigned the 267 guest rooms at the Andaz London Liverpool Street, two decades after the architecture practice first worked on the hotel – originally built in 1884 as one of the city's original railway hotels.

The renovation – commissioned by Andaz owners Hyatt – has updated the rooms to reflect changes in the surrounding City of London and the district of Shoreditch, and includes contributions from from local East London artists.

“We recognised the hotel as a place where the traditionally conservative city meets the ever-evolving, vibrant artistic ‘vibe’ of East London,” said Conran and Partners director Tina Norden. “Waking up in an Andaz is to know where you are in the world, through an authentic sense of place using subtle local touches rather than obvious theming.

“As a starting point, we looked at how the hotel lies at the gateway between the City of London and Shoreditch and have taken many of our references from the very different histories and vibes of these two adjacent areas.”

Each guest room has been designed in a residential style, with the existing timber panelling preserved but stained in a contemporary fashion. A pinstriped carpet and accentuated stitched ‘jeans’ fabric around the base of the beds is a nod to the City’s sartorial past, while the use of tattoo art, local photography and the incorporation of concrete into the rooms references the “gritty quirkiness” of Shoreditch.

The bathrooms preserve the metro tiles from the original design, complemented by a number of new, modern features including black Dornbracht brassware and a contemporary floating sink by manufacturer Laufen.

The Andaz London Liverpool Street is housed in a Grade Two listed redbrick Victorian building, originally called the Great Eastern Hotel and designed by the architects of London’s Houses of Parliament, Charles Barry, Augustus Pugin.

Since Hyatt's purchase of the property and its Andaz rebranding, the hotel has welcomed a host of celebrities, including musicians Lady Gaga and Paloma Faith, and been used as a backdrop for numerous fashion shoots. A hidden Masonic Temple in the building is used as an unorthodox events space, and recently hoisted a Game of Thrones pop-up restaurant curated by broadcaster HBO.

Founded by Sir Terence Conran over thirty years ago, Conran and Partners have designed the interiors for destination restaurants including London’s Royal Exchange, Skylon and Bluebird as well as the Hong Kong Club in Hong Kong and Gustavinos in New York. In 2015 they completed their 100th hospitality project with the opening of the German Gymnasium in London’s Kings Cross.