Claridge’s Hotel in London has received an incredible facelift. The internal atrium of the hotel is now a impressive towering sculpture faced in unique, magical tiles in a project led by Derek Whetton Consultancy in collaboration with Arups and Blair Associates.
These pyramid-shaped 65 by 250mm tiles are glazed in a glossy iridescent finish, reflecting shades of powder blue, pastel lemon, and baby pink that ripple over the irregular surface and encourage the eye upwards. The roof is equally as ethereal, covered in glass that holds a few inches of water, filtering the light through a rainbow of colour.
The roof along with the walls of pearlescent tiles, created by Ceramica Senio, provide a cocooning sense of protection that is inviting and mysterious rather than smothering and dim. At the base of the atrium stands a unique sculpture by Jean-Michel Othoniel whose work we have covered here before, with views over it provided by the countless windows that line the walls.
A new post by Hanna Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, April 2023.