Explore Views July 2006
The latest news, views and events from bmi
WATCH THIS
FAILURE TO LAUNCH, the hit romantic comedy starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew McConaughey, is out this month on DVD – but you can watch it on longhaul flights now. Turn to p.120 for our review and tune into Channel 7 for the movie.
PICK OF PICCADILLY
THE ATHENAEUM HOTEL UNVEILS ITS HOT NEW LOOK
MARTIN HULBERT is a man with his finger firmly on the design pulse. With projects including a high octane club in Moscow and Le Meurice cooking school in Paris, Hulbert’s signature groovy yet grand style is making the cashed-up crowd’s tongues wag and jaws drop across the globe. So when London’s Athenaeum hotel was in search of a ‘hot’ designer to inject some much-needed vigour, he was soon picked for the job. ‘Contemporary elegance’ best describes the new style of the lobby, reception, bar, restaurant and drawing room. Fashion designer Nicholas Oakwell has created individual uniforms for the staff, while a number of artists have been commissioned to bring a sense of drama and fluidity to the space. One of the first things you will notice when walking into the new-look lobby will be a towering painting of roses encased in plexiglass, created by London-based Italian artist Ricardo Cinalli. “I was particularly interested in the theme of flowers because roses are traditionally very English with a romantic twist, which is the idea I had for the new look,” Hulbert explains.
The new design sees the quintessentially English atmosphere being accentuated with a touch of modern opulence. In the drawing room there are private spaces created for secretive tête tetes (all rather Dangerous Liaisons) or perhaps even a clandestine catch-up with an amour.
“I like to think of these as cameo spaces. And there’s a bigger emphasis on elegance rather than glamour. I’m going against glamour at the moment,” proffers the designer.
The only hotel in London with 34 private apartments connected via a secret corridor, the Athenaeum’s old world charm and romance continues, but with a fresh and flexible contemporary vibe. Once a movie stars’ watering hole, the hotel looks set once again to become the meeting place for financiers, shoppers and culture vultures all in search of a relaxed spot to kick back. 116 Piccadilly, London W1J 7BJ. Tel: +44 (0)20 7499 3464 www.athenaeumhotel.com
NUMBER CRUNCHER
£459 million…
The total worldwide earnings of Ocean’s 11 and Ocean’s 12. George Clooney and co return for more casino jinks, with filming expected to begin in LA and Las Vegas on July 21.
