9.20.2019 | DIGS.NET 81
PHOTOGRAPHS:
COURTESY
OF
BANKSIDE
HOTEL
"I wanted to create spaces that support creative
thinkers," explains the holistically-minded Lee. "I
believe people can feel, without narration, when
an object or a composition is solid, cared for and
embodies the thinking process of the craftsmen,
artists and manufacturers. e experience becomes
a bit more full." And vibrantly of its time. Bankside
is best understood as a physical manifestation of the
studio's broader intent to "evoke cinematic stories
with architecture, lighting, flow of passage, eye lines,
culture with a sense of place and belongings."
Lee's interior design is one of eclectic refinement
with creativity as its nucleus. To wit, a boatload of
interesting art throughout that complements the
hotel's Maker in Residence program and speaks
to a key Powerstrip Studio tenet: creating art and
community. Bankside is a product of this ethos;
always distinct but whose spaces somehow cohere
into a sophisticated yet whimsical whole. Consider:
the vibrant Art Yard Bar & Kitchen featuring a tangle
of overhead lighting reminiscent of a Hollywood
set; the book-towered mezzanine library; and the
clean-lined, mid-century toned rooms with walls of
tweed. Works from British makers—custom
side tables by Malgorazata Bany, handcrafted
furnishings by the Galvin Brothers, and
sculpture that divides sitting areas, among
them—populate the place. e material
palette of leather-lined shelves, butcher-
block timber floors, unpainted concrete
pillars, raw exposed ceilings and pieces that
are "essentially studies of different design
periods," offers Lee, complete a layered and
dimensioned tableau. All supports a stunning
aesthetic richness for creative thinkers exactly
like Lee. In this spirit, the space presents as
equal parts gallery, artist studio and social hub,
a bastion of 21st-century artistic patronage in
an evolving South Bank neighborhood where
yet another renaissance is underway.
Mostly, though, Bankside Hotel reflects a
strong sense of identity. Of place, of people,
and of a story that animates both.
powerstripstudio.com
DAYNA LEE OF POWERSTRIP STUDIO CONCEPTUALIZED AN
"ART-SCHOOL" AESTHETIC FOR CREATIVE THINKERS IN MODERN
TIMES AT BANKSIDE HOTEL IN LONDON. ITS FRESH LOOK
REFLECTS THE ARTISTIC EVOLUTION OF THE HOTEL'S HISTORIC
SOUTH BANK NEIGHBORHOOD.
