A range of Häfele architectural ironmongery has been used in the transformation of 15 Old Bailey into Hyde London City, a new £34.3 million lifestyle hotel.
The building was originally built in 1874 as the ‘Spiers & Pond’ hotel and converted to office use in the late 20th Century. The Grade II listing means Hyde London City blends heritage with bohemian elegance. Studio Moren acted as architects and interior designers on this conversion, bringing the building back to its original use as a hotel.
The transformation now offers 111 guestrooms, each showcasing deep Victorian palettes, velvet furnishings and bold, nature-inspired wallpapers. The hotel also features two food and beverage options including Leydi a modern Turkish restaurant and Black Lacquer, an intimate cocktail bar with a décor inspired by Tokyo’s vinyl culture.
Studio Moren sought to reintroduce Victorian features like cornicing, high skirtings and timber flooring which had been lost when the building was used for offices, while blending modern elements expected by today’s discerning traveller. The project also included the construction of a new extension over the existing light well, adding 21 guestrooms.
The team drew upon its experience across previous high-profile projects, including Park Hyatt London River Thames; 1 Hotel Mayfair; the refurbishment of Grade II listed London Marriott Hotel County Hall, and projects further afield including Rome’s Hyatt Regency and luxury resort properties in Portugal.
Heritage hardware
Häfele’s involvement in the landmark project began at the outset, supporting Studio Moren with creating a mock-up room. From concept to completion, Häfele’s projects team, led by Gordon Turner, provided regular site visits and bespoke, solution-driven support, helping to achieve the project’s overall blend of rich history and contemporary, luxury hospitality.
Across the project, Häfele hardware has been used as both an architectural feature and to provide subtle practicalities while allowing authentic historical features to shine. For the former, antique brass solid bar levers in a Westminster design have been combined with antique brass bar pull handles in a nod to the site’s Victorian charm. Conversely, guest rooms feature concealed door closers, while concealed electromagnetic closers and Powermatic door closers were specified in corridor doors and arched head doors for practicality and function.
The Häfele projects team also worked closely with Studio Moren to specify bespoke solutions to maximise historic features. Within ensuite bathrooms, concealed hinges were specified so that high skirting boards could be mounted up to the door and blend seamlessly with the rest of the room.
Häfele recommended a combination of restored original hardware and new elements for the existing external doors, such as antique brass panic hardware and 1500mm solid brass bolts to secure tall doors. The manufacturer also provided a bespoke auto operator solution for the site’s door leaves. At just 550mm wide, the doors required a customised approach as typically, products are designed for widths of at least 800mm. Häfele also incorporated battery-powered accessible touch pads into the design to avoid damage to the building’s historic façade.
“Häfele’s support was invaluable throughout the transformation of Hyde London City,” said Ed Murray from Studio Moren. “The team brought ideas and expertise to the project and it was a true collaboration of ideas. We shared the vision and the team helped us make it a reality.”
Commenting on the project, Paul Smith, head of specification sales for Häfele UK, said: “Hyde London City is a spectacular hotel, and we’re honoured to be part of bringing this building back to its Victorian splendour. The project is also our second time working with Studio Moren in recent months, which is a testament to our team’s ability to provide a combination of expert specification, understanding of the architectural vision and bespoke service. We look forward to supporting the practice again on future projects.”
