Gabriel Design creates Bermondsey hotel interiors

Gabriel Design has completed the interior design for the newly built Bermondsey Square Hotel in south

London, which opens on 14 April.

Inspired by 1960s British culture, the hotel has 79 rooms, four themed loft suites and an in-house restaurant called Alfie’s Kitchen, Bar and Deli.

David Gabriel, founder of Gabriel Design, says that the brief from Robin Sheppard, the managing director at the hotel, was ‘loose enough for me to go berserk’.

‘We made things more eccentric as the project developed. I hope it will appeal to a hip young crowd, and to people who appreciate good design, because it isn’t austerely minimalist like many other hotels.’

Gabriel Design and three other companies were shortlisted after an open pitch, and was awarded the commission in March 2006.

Will Oakley, general manager of Bermondsey Square Hotel, says, ‘If I’m honest, there was no strict brief. We wanted David to inject a sense of humour, without the squareness of traditional hotels.’

The hotel, on Tower Bridge Road, SE1, will host dog weddings and offer guests in-room pillow fights with members of staff.