American design hotel The Standard exports its space-age-1960s mod style to King’s Cross

American design hotel The Standard exports its space-age-1960s mod style to King’s Cross
In a harsh retail climate, the most rareified of neighbourhoods looks to rebrand
At The Dorchester, heritage is not a catchphrase – it is the essence of this Mayfair institution
4am in Fabric, a cavernous nightclub in London’s Clerkenwell district and the resident DJ, Terry Francis, has just dropped a twisted slab of techno which sends the packed dance floor wild. This is a moment repeated around the world: clubbers losing it to underground dance music, driven by – as the old house classic goes – a basement, a red light and a feeling. It’s a scene that’s been played out in basements around the world for the past forty years. However in recent years, something’s changed. More and more clubs are closing down and less and less young people...
The Zetter Townhouse Marylebone is accurately described as feeling like “the private home of an eccentric relative”
A group of musicians has slowly built a scene that has the whole world listening – and they did it without the help of major record labels, big venues or mainstream media. Some say they’ve created a completely new sound, others that it’s the next stage in the development of a great tradition. Nobody really knows what to call it. For now, we’ll call it jazz. London jazz.
If serene minimalism at the heart of London is what you’re after, then few places can match this West End favourite