The Boundary Project

2-4 Boundary St, London E2 7DD, UK

Despite launching on New Year’s Eve in 2008, Sir Terence Conran’s boutique hotel is a discreet affair. The Boundary was the first hotel project by the eminent octogenarian British designer and his partner, Peter Prescott, but the inexperience doesn’t show. This is a very polished place that revolves—as you might expect from a furniture-obsessed restaurateur—around good food and seamless design. From the street, you’d barely know a hotel existed. The focus is on the busy, brasserie-style Albion restaurant, whose tables pour out onto the pavement, and the adjoining grocery store, bakery, and cake counter. But that’s not to say the rooms are an afterthought. Hidden away in the upper floors of a handsome Victorian warehouse on London’s Redchurch Street are 17 distinctly designed rooms that brim with custom-made furniture, handmade beds, and a splash of eye-catching art. All are flooded with light through large sash windows and take their cue from leading designers such as Charles & Ray Eames, Le Corbusier & Charlotte Perriand, and Mies Van Der Rohe. For those who believe good design should blend effortlessly into its environment, this is the place to stay.

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The Boundry Project

Despite launching on New Year’s Eve in 2008, Sir Terence Conran’s boutique hotel is a discreet affair. The Boundary was the first hotel project by the eminent octogenarian British designer and his partner, Peter Prescott, but the inexperience doesn’t show. This is a very polished place that revolves—as you might expect from a furniture-obsessed restaurateur—around good food and seamless design. From the street, you’d barely know a hotel existed. The focus is on the busy, brasserie-style Albion restaurant, whose tables pour out onto the pavement, and the adjoining grocery store, bakery, and cake counter. But that’s not to say the rooms are an afterthought. Hidden away in the upper floors of a handsome Victorian warehouse on London’s Redchurch Street are 17 distinctly designed rooms that brim with custom-made furniture, handmade beds, and a splash of eye-catching art. All are flooded with light through large sash windows and take their cue from leading designers such as Charles & Ray Eames, Le Corbusier & Charlotte Perriand, and Mies Van Der Rohe. For those who believe good design should blend effortlessly into its environment, this is the place to stay.

Looking Out Over London

“Forgive the nepotism, but my father, Terence Conran, has set up a brilliant site here in The Boundary Complex—a restaurant, hotel, café, and rooftop terrace in an old Victorian Printworks. It took a long time to bring everything together, but it was worth the wait. The rooftop is one of the best places to enjoy a summer drink in the city, looking out over the crooked roofs and spires of East London. The Albion Cafe on the ground floor has also been a smash hit and a really buzzing community hub.” —Jasper Conran

London's Boundary

During a summer trip to London, I had a chance to check out the new Boundary Hotel in the lively Shoreditch neighborhood. Each room has a unique design that features bright blocks of color and pattern. Amenities include D.I.Y. French press coffee as well as a mini bar stocked with local goodies and teapot cozies. The best part is being steps from the hotel’s Albion restaurant and all the other hip cafes, shops, and bars that this happening district has to offer.

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