Buildings in London go through many stages in their lives. Built in 1919, the façade was inevitably listed, creating problems with levels inside and the relationship of rooms to the fenestration for the architects and for the interior designers. However as they metamorphose some buildings transcend the problems and emerge as effective in their new roles as if they had been built from new.

Creative freedom can only come as a result of challenges to limitations – that is why the generation of the ‘60’s, that emerged from the shadow of rationing and conscription, were so much more creative than the ‘anything goes’ generation of today, who are brought up without the firm hand of authority. So it is in design. Here the interior presented a challenge to the designers, a challenge which they met, responded to and by intelligent attention to detail and a clear design philosophy have produced a remarkably effective and attractive addition to Intercontinental Crowne Plaza brand.

Despite appearances the main entrance is at the ‘back’ of the building. The pedestrian entrance in front,off the busy New Bridge Street, is adjacent to a bus stop, and stepped. Cars can pull up to the doors at the rear 'main' entrance and guests enter into a spacious atrium off ground level in a façade that is strikingly modern and contrasts with the preserved ‘front’. Here the designers’ pared down palette of colour and use of strong materials such as Australian Walnut, limestone tiles and mahogany with leather upholstery create a cool atmosphere. Walls of polished plaster make a sophisticated alternative to a paint finish, tougher and easier to clean, and generally paint finishes are eschewed throughout the hotel in favour of tough wallpapers or harder finishes.

Executive floor has purple stripe carpets, mahogany trim, a light over the number and a 'delivery table' outside. Rollover to see the standard room floor in green

Even the hinges on the robe doors are elegant, whilst everything has its place in the interior. Rollover to see the robe doors open.

The atrium is tall in reception but opens to the full height of the building to create a ‘light well’ for the inward looking bedroom. The height is marked by a specially commissioned sculptural relief, the result of a limited competition. It successfully provides a counterpoint to the mass of the building itself internally lightening and emphasising the height.

In all the public areas detailing is done to a consistently high standard – skirtings are carefully sized, switchplates and sockets in carefully chosen finishes and positions and this attention to detail in both form and function carries through into the bedrooms.

Detailing isn’t just about how things fit together it is also about ensuring that the sizes and materials relate. In the bedrooms for instance the skirtings are quite deep, giving a proper finish to the wall, having the necessary visual weight to look right. Does a guest notice? Unconsciously they do. Without noticing whether the switch plates are metal or plastic, skirtings deep or narrow, a guest will recognise a good quality solution against a cheap solution. Such an appreciation may be intuitive in the first instance but the constant exposure to design issues through the media means that this unconscious appreciation is now becoming a conscious discrimination for many people.