The Grand Hotel Bellevue is no misnomer. Nestled into a tranquil Victorian square, facing mature trees and a gated park, the period townhouse seems miles away from from Paddington Station and Basin, both moments away. And the interiors more closely resemble a bohemian country estate than a central London inn.

French group Lignée Hotels hired Paris-based architect Fabrizio Casiraghi to design the elegant 60-room London hotel, and he studied the British history of design to furnish it. Imagining a well-travelled aristocratic couple with eclectic tastes, he anchored the rooms in dark, lacquered wood, adding jewel tones and imported details to liven them up.

Against walls of ochre and faded ivory, he’s installed conversation pieces with unusual contours, along with muted tapestries and rich fabrics in contrasting greens and blues. Guest rooms – which start at £200 per night for a single built like a boat cabin – are ‘antiqued’ with exotic cornicing and vintage-inspired wardrobes. The largest, the Grand Norfolk Suite, enjoys views over the square below.

The Pondicherry Bar is an outlier, with a folky, hand-painted tapestry by American fashion designer Emily Bode taking over the walls.

www.grandhotelbellevuelondon.com

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