Rooms
Stunning design, elegant and romantic, each room individually created by Anouska Hempel displaying her immaculate attention to detail reconstructed to provide the ideal blend of colour, texture and atmosphere. The colour schemes are daring, stunning and dramatic, all designed with a vibrant spirit, the passion for travel and life, as it should be, romantic and though provoking. Black and mustard, rich cardinal reds, lavender, vanilla, washes of tea rose and a room that is white on white on white, offering style and elegance to the discerning traveller. In the business of making dreams a reality, unable to accept the ordinary, Anouska Hempel created a world of excellence one room at a time.
Restaurant
Blakes restaurant, situated in subterranean splendor bustles with life from breakfast to dinner, serving inspirational dishes from all corners of the globe, a skilful blend of East and West, all elegantly presented to look as good as they taste. The Restaurant is of stunning timeless design, stylish and exotic, serving exquisite cuisine in seductive settings where walls are exotically layered with artifacts from exotic climes and tables are adorned with the finest appointments.
Exterior
Blakes, is situated in the quiet residential area of South Kensington. Easily accessible by underground (South Kensington or Gloucester Road) and a short taxi ride from Harrods and Knightsbridge. A five minute walk can take you to the fashionable Brompton Cross or the Kings Road. Museums such as Victoria and Albert, Natural History and the Science Museum are only five minutes by taxi or a fifteen minute stroll. The Hotel is also close to London's famous Royal Parks with Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and The Albert Hall.
Lobby
Blakes was created in 1978 as one of the world's first luxury boutique hotels. Based in South Kensington, it is famous for its design, service and privacy. Recognized for the dark colour of the facade, it occupies a group of Victorian ...read moreHouses, the main ones being the Blakes and Benzies. Blakes is a seductive design journey through India, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and on to the Pyramids, back through Italy ending up in the heart of London. An elegant, eclectic, ethnic picture reflected in the abundance and luxury of accessories, furniture and artefacts found all over the world by Anouska Hempel herself over the many years of her far flung travels. It evokes past and current intrigues and dark mysteries. The ‘Opium Den’ that is The Chinese Room, sits next to the critically acclaimed restaurant adorned in luxurious soft furnishings and a myriad of slipper orchids where candles and books are in profusion, stacked high on the squat tables waiting for guests to leaf through their exotic pages. Chinese ancestors smile knowingly down from the walls, black lacquer trays and colourful canapés gives the perfect background for the gentle and elegant service that glides unobtrusively from room to room giving the most discreet attention one could ever wish for. Yet at the same time the place is busy, bustling, bohemian and beautiful. The room itself is the epitome of decadence and comfort dedicated to the likes of Chanel and Dietrich, and is the place to be before or after enjoying the delights of an evening in London. Marlene herself is rumoured to appear under certain lights and influences leaning seductively on the piano. The bar is also hugely popular with London’s fashionable ‘it’ crowd who regularly pop in for a sharpener! The restaurant walls are exotically layered with fans, made from the feathers of rare birds from exotic climes such as Brazil and the Ecuadorian rainforests. Tables are adorned with the finest appointments however nothing can overshadow the cuisine which like the décor draws its inspiration from all corners of the globe. As you gallop up the stairs three at a time you may find yourself in the La Carmona suite, with Japanese Shuijo Horses corralled over your head and at the foot of your bed. Ginger Louis Vuitton trunks sit around retired for the moment from globetrotting. Blakes rooms are dramatic interpretations of deep, rich tones and subtle contrasts and the compositions are startling, luxurious and operatic. What might have easily slipped into being ‘over the top’ is somehow neither too saccharine nor too precious. Rather, these interiors are fascinating exercises in design imagination, choreographed by the masterly eye of Anouska Hempel herself. With a top class concierge and room service running day and night, your every last wish is their command. With nonsense and happiness around the clock Blakes is a romantic whirlwind from the minute you step through the door. So full of fantasy and so full of fun you are guaranteed to have a great time! Around each corner there is a surprise and the chance to discover more of the mystery and magic that has been created here. If the term ‘Design Hotel’ means attention to detail and the entire aesthetic experience then Blakes London veritably deserves that title. Hempel’s motto: Design, Refine, Repeat, on an individual level.