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Rough Luxe Hotel
London
Rough Luxe, as the name may suggest, doesn't separate the wheat from the chaff, it marries them together. Forget all you know about enamel-smooth marble surfaces, solid oak panelling, and ritzy-glitzy glamour pouring out of the woodwork. Rough Luxe is the complete opposite.
You get what you see at Rough Luxe. Some of the walls are bare-brick with strips of paint hanging off like loose flesh. It's all a fascinating blend of opulence meets decrepit; bare floors, chipped paint, corrugated iron wall finishes but, at the same time, marvellous wall prints framed in mirror glass and snazzy wallpaper reigns throughout.
All the rooms at Rough Luxe, all nine of them, are cosy and intimate. You might even end up sharing a bathroom, though some have their own en suite. Original light fittings and door fixtures beguile with their period charm and obvious wear and tear.
Where the 'luxe' element really shines here is in the beds and mattresses as well as the fine linen and characterful furniture within the rooms. However the original 1960s kitchen remains, just with a few contemporary accompaniments and upgrades. Breakfast is served in the dining room next door where guests sit around a table made from wood salvaged from Brighton Pier, beneath an imposing ceiling photo of a Renaissance dome.
As far as things to do while in London goes, the Rough Luxe is perfectly positioned by the entrance to the Mews Gallery: a platform from which culture-seekers can launch into the rest of the city. Rough Luxe may well turn out to be the perfect spot for discerning travellers in search of 'anti-luxury' (as we know it today) and great character.
