The design-oriented serviced apartment brand Locke has opened its fifth property in London and the eleventh in its portfolio.
The newly developed Buckle Street Studios are located in Aldgate, East London, next to the Leman Locke site and just minutes from the City, Tower Bridge and Brick Lane.
The aparthotel extends over 13 floors with 103 accommodation units, a concept store, a co-working area, a shaman café and a meeting room. The property differs from Locke’s other aparthotels in that it offers 87 compact apartments with kitchen and living area and 16 hotel-style rooms for short stays.
This will be the first Locke to have a concept store and its own “Makers Space”, which supports up-and-coming designers and artists. The concept store features limited edition items and handcrafted items from custom sneaker designer AfroKickz, ceramist Ally Powell and artist Dion Kitson.
The aparthotel was designed by Matthew Grzywinski from Grzywinski + Pons, the brain behind the first four Locke locations. The exterior features a translucent glass crown that surrounds the top two floors and resembles a modernist lighthouse as “an iconic beacon from which guests can explore East London”.
Social spaces have curved furniture, sleek arches, wooden walls, and a neutral color palette, while the apartments have nifty neutral tones and mood lighting with raw concrete and plaster alongside brushed brass surfaces.
Guests also have access to the social spaces at Leman Locke, which include a gym, a shaman café, a co-working space and chef Andy Hogben’s vegan restaurant Alter.
Eric Jafari, Chief Development Officer and Creative Director, Locke commented:
“Buckle Street Studios is the culmination of an exceptionally busy year with new openings across Europe for Locke. The project is another masterpiece in design by Grzywinski + Pons and an example of how hotels evolve as spaces to become more and more hybrid and versatile. The Concept Store and Makers Space are a particularly exciting project for us and we hope that it will enable guests and locals alike to discover some of the most talented emerging creatives in the UK. ”
Locke recently opened its second Dublin aparthotel in Docklands after making its debut on Ha’penny Bridge in the city earlier this year.
The Locke brand was launched in 2016, and is named after the 17th century English philosopher and doctor John Locke. Buckle Street Studios joins four existing London properties, Eden Locke in Edinburgh, Whitworth Locke in Manchester, two properties in Dublin, Schwan Locke in Munich and Turing Locke in Cambridge.
