ARCHER HUMPHRYES ARCHITECTS

Archer Humphryes Architects are experts in the design of hotels, restaurants, residences and resorts. Set up in 2002 by David Archer and Julie Humphryes, the practice has completed more than £100 million worth of projects, switching effortlessly between the role of architect and interior designer as well as embracing the design of furniture, lighting, products and graphics. The practice’s work is primarily focused on designing ‘lifestyle’ spaces for eating, drinking, sleeping and being seen, created in both new builds and historic settings. All work is underpinned by the practice’s core concerns with balancing past and present; classic and contemporary; economy and luxury; and reliability and iconoclasm. This approach is demonstrated in recently completed projects such as the Great Northern Hotel at London’s King’s Cross for financier Jeremy Robson; Vienna’s Sans Souci Hotel for art collector Norbert Winkelmayer; and ‘A’ list favourite the Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone for hotelier André Balazs. These will be followed shortly by completion of the Lalit London hotel at 1 Tower Bridge for The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, and The Beach private residence club in Koh Samui for Absolute and the Design Hotels group. The practice has forged fruitful long-term relationships with many of its clients. These include restaurateur Alan Yau, for whom Archer Humphryes has designed a variety of restaurants including Hakkasan and the Busaba Eathai chain; and YOO Group, the hotel and homes group set up by Philippe Starck and John Hitchcox. Other prominent clients include Manhattan Loft Corporation, Berkeley Homes, Portman Estate, Absolute Group and Sophie Conran Archer Humphryes’ work will be celebrated in the forthcoming book ‘Cool, Contemporary, Classic’, due for publication later this year.