Discover The Franklin Hotel, London, a chic boutique hotel designed by Anouska Hempel

Anouska Hempel knows a thing or two about looking good and style. The Franklin is Hempel in hotel form: refined, ravishing and elegant all in equal measures.

Take a cue from the hotel’s sister, Blakes, and the forthcoming new hotel Monsieur George opening in Paris, and note this hotel also throwing its cap at foreign lands – in this case: Italy.

Sophia Loren or Gina Lollobrigida couldn’t fault the taffeta-and-velvet-bedecked dining room, and the glittering and intimate mirrored bar. The rooms are likewise ravishing with their sober sandstone bathrooms.

As per Anouska Hempel’s signature, she takes her inspiration from her travels – particularly evident in the ground floor of grey limestone and Carrara and in her elegantly opulent interiors of mirrored furniture, gorgeous Italian velvets and silks, as well as in Ikaats from Istanbul.

One point is delightfully English: and that’s the setting of the Franklin, in amongst the elite of Knightsbridge’s best, with Egerton Gardens at the back with its vivid green manicured gardens lining the period buildings. This elegant Victorian building embraces the beauty and calm of the private gardens, with their glorious London Plane trees, where the garden rooms can enjoy a seasonal spectacle.

The building - acquired by Italian entrepreneur Elisabetta Fabri, President and CEO of the Italian group Starhotels - is entirely designed by Anouska Hempel, and throughout there has been the use of carrara marble. Anouska Hempel also launched her new collection of marble tableware and accessories, drawing on classical inspirations and capturing the duality of a material which is both structural and highly decorative. Anouska Hempel always specifies stone in her designs, cherishing its natural colours, rough/smooth textures and profound connections with the earth's history. For this collection, she chose two rare and extraordinary marbles: purest crystalline "Thassos White," counterpointed by deepest "Infinity Black." The manufacturing process involves countless hours of skilled hand-finishing, to achieve

the finest form and finish. The pieces are available online and at The Franklin Hotel straight off the table.

“Where I am in the world, I start every project with stone. It is the building block of my style. I am intuitively drawn to its nature and decorative potential. The pieces I have designed can be used in so many ways – and stone makes them truly timeless” - Anouska Hempel.

www.anouskahempeldesign.com

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