Q&A with Charlotte Flynn

An Interior Designer Lets Us in on The Hoxton’s Newest Project with Holmes Bespoke

Charlotte Flynn began her career as a styling assistant for one of Britain’s most recognisable Interior Design magazines, House & Garden. Now a senior designer for Ennismore’s in-house design team. Charlotte’s inimitable approach to design is bringing The Hoxton Barcelona to life. Opening in the Spring of 2022, Barcelona will be the most contemporary of the open house hotels to date and feature over 550 bespoke rugs and wall-hangings from Laylah Holmes at Holmes Bespoke. Charlotte shares how she became a designer for one of the most recognisable hotel brands, and the inspiration and process behind the rug & tapestry design for The Hoxton Barcelona.

The Hoxton Barcelona, located in the thriving Poblenou neighbourhood, features an impressive double height ceiling lobby space featuring 12 handmade bespoke rugs from Holmes Bespoke that will be paired with an eclectic mix of contemporary artworks and hand painted murals. The rooftop space features two bars, a restaurant space and pool area with Holmes Bespoke outdoor rugs made from recycled P.E.T yarn. Each of the 240 bedrooms will be host to a wall-hanging tapestry designed by Laylah Holmes and takes inspiration from the architectural work of Ricardo Bofill – these are complimented by the bespoke floor rugs throughout all bedrooms.

The Hoxton Southwark Apartment (private event space) featuring the India rug by Holmes Bespoke.

Firstly, how did you become an interior designer for Ennismore?

A bit of a round-about route – I started as a stylist for a Conde Nast title; I worked at House & Garden Magazine, interning there for about three and a half months and after that, I moved into freelance styling for anything from homewares to interior product shoots. I then moved to Australia for two and a half years (I did nothing at all related to interior design) but it reignited my love for design – I was really inspired by the design in Australia, be it from fashion to interiors and graphics and branding. I especially felt that restaurant design was far more forward thinking and holistic in its approach and made for a dining experience yet to be understood in the UK. I must be honest – I would get a bit bored if I only worked on interiors independently of all the other elements. I find it fascinating to collaborate with the graphic design team, the development team, and learn how buildings are purchased - how it all comes together.

How many Hoxton hotels have you worked on & which has been your favourite project so far?

Three; I worked on Hoxton Southwark, Barcelona and I assisted on Rome - which opened in spring 2021. I would say Hoxton, Barcelona due to the fact it’s quite a departure from a more typical Hoxton design aesthetic and we’ve overcome so many hurdles during Covid, so a lot of time and thought has gone into this project. For nostalgia, Hoxton Southwark as it’s the first one I worked on within the Hoxton brand.

Charlotte mentions that Holmes Bespoke was chosen to design the rugs for Barcelona “based on Laylah’s previous design work and the materials that she uses and her application of different techniques.” Pictured The Hoxton Rome courtesy of The Hoxton and the Bespoke Alice Rug in 100% Hemp by Holmes Bespoke.

I read; “The Hoxton is a series of open-house hotels inspired by the diversity and originality of the streets and scenes that surround us.” What inspired YOU and the interior design for Barcelona?

This is a really interesting project for us as the building is super contemporary and there were limitations on some of the design changes so we had to really dig deep into what the overall aesthetic needed to be to suit the area, brand and Hoxton audience whilst working within certain parameters. So rather than going down the route of our more classically designed Hoxton’s we took a very contemporary approach and felt this was better suited to the area and its audience. What we found most inspiring was an architect called Ricardo Bofill which is what Laylah also used in the collaborative design for the wall hangings. His architecture was a real starting point for us. Then, the Mediterranean palette with an urban twist. The location of the building in Poblemo is very industrial, so it was marrying the context of the building to the beach with a very urban setting. So that geared us toward the tones, palettes, and materials, so rather than going to the typical Hoxton mid-century, we went super contemporary – it will be the most contemporary of any Hoxton, which is largely due to the people that are living in the area.

Bespoke New Zealand Wool Rug for The Hoxton Holborn by Holmes Bespoke.

I think it’s incredible you’re using local designers and craftspeople to reflect this diversity and originality of place. When you come to a designer, you have a concept – what was the inspiration behind the rugs designed by Holmes Bespoke?

We choose the designer based on their styles, so we went to Laylah at Holmes Bespoke because we felt she’s very creative and was able to develop something quite unique for the Hoxton. For the textile wall hanging, we gave Laylah a brief and some pages of inspiration for the hotel, and she intuitively ran with that and obviously, there’s back and forth, but we chose Laylah based on her previous design work and the materials that she uses and her application of different techniques. And then for the rugs, we’d always wanted to go down a fairly rustic route and keep the design fairly simple in order to allow the tapestry to be the main feature. With bedroom design it’s always a marriage of durability, budget, our inspiration and obviously adding Laylah’s touch to it.

The Hoxton Southwark featuring The Emma Rug by Holmes Bespoke.

There are over 550 Holmes Bespoke rugs and wall-hanging tapestries across the hotel; bespoke designs in the public areas and a tapestry and at least one rug in every room, with some featuring our Sienna or Emma rug design. Although we can’t show you everything, below is a sneak peek of some of the Holmes Bespoke pieces you will see around The Hoxton Barcelona.

Your favourite space in this hotel?

My favourite space is definitely the lobby – there’s something really impactful yet paired back about the space due to the combination of the height of the space paired with a really interesting yet simple selection of finishes and fabrics. We were able to use the airiness and lightness of the area to make it quite Mediterranean, with terracottas, minty green, a handpainted mural on the bar and supersized artwork to reflect the size of the space. I think (if all goes to plan) when you arrive in the space it will be a really great wow moment, especially once coupled with Hoxton cocktails, Hoxton service and that Hoxton playlist – it’s going to be a pretty epic space.

The Hoxton Rome recently opened in Spring. Charlotte assisted on this project before beginning The Hoxton Barcelona. Photograph courtesy of The Hoxton.

There are 12 bespoke rugs in the ground floor lobby that are completely unique to the space. As Charlotte mentioned, Holmes Bespoke worked to develop bespoke designs that were durable, budget-friendly and suitable for the hotel space.

The Emma Rug featured in the Hoxton Southwark by Holmes Bespoke.

Does the Hoxton in Barcelona reflect your style?

Our goal is always to design to the needs of the project but it’s impossible not to let your personal taste influence the design in some manner. It’s quite easy for us to identify whose worked on what within the team as we all know each other’s style so well. For this project it has been myself and Chris Stringfellow working together for over 2 years and although we look after different areas, our culture is to take a really collaborative approach and we’re constantly running design ideas past each other and sense checking our goal and vision is aligned for the space. I’d say Chris has a more contemporary approach to design and a really unique way of thinking about material application where as I am probably a bit more traditional and rustic in my aesthetic (and have an unhealthy obsession with fabrics), so the two together is quite a pairing! But back to Hoxton, chiefly, it’s all about the brand which has its own unique style that we design too and more importantly it’s the Hoxton guest that we are designing for, so thinking about how our guests feel in the space is intrinsic to the design process.

Our recent collection, The Shore Collection, features recycled P.E.T rugs suitable for outdoor use, this innovative yarn will be used to create rugs for the rooftop of The Hoxton Barcelona. Shop our Shore Collection below!

Led by Laylah Holmes, Holmes Bespoke offer a unique and tailored approach to each project. We are committed to building long-lasting authentic relationships, inspiring a creative and enjoyable design experience whilst ensuring we deliver exceptional quality. Our area of expertise is bespoke rugs and carpets, offering a diverse range of techniques allows us to work with a wide breadth of clients from contemporary to classic; our artisan craftspeople can hand tuft, knot, weave, loop, twist or carve your bespoke design in an array of premium fibres.

Written by Brooke Tilston