UK: Wembley Ark, a coliving conversion of former hotel, designed by Holloway Li, is opening next month.
The property has been conceived “to offer a fresh solution to the need for a serviced, community-centric rental concept in affordable luxury for both long-term and short-term guests”.
A 300-bedroom former hotel has been converted in to operator Ark’s first location, which will offer from two-night to year-long stays.
Charlie Gayner and Jermaine Browne are the co-founders of Ark, which aims to promote considered, high-quality residential design for modern urbanites. “As one of the first coliving buildings designed post-pandemic, we’ve been able to respond to the huge changes we’ve seen in living and working and created a space that puts co-working and human connection side by side, while allowing guests to stay for as long as they like as opposed to being tied into long-term fixed contracts. With an attention to detail and a lifestyle-led experience, Wembley Ark delivers high design and service at a price point that previously hasn’t been affordable,” said Gayner.
The brand donated more than 1,000 pieces of furniture from the hotel’s refurbishment to local families and shelters in response to a rising cost of living. Wembley Ark will be offering free accommodation for local women who have suffered domestic violence through partnering with the Al-Hasaniya Women’s Centre.
Browne said: “Coliving is the only alternative living product that exists currently which provides flexibility of length of stay, addresses loneliness and insulates people from the rising cost of living through a fixed, all-inclusive bill.”
Na Li, managing director of Holloway Li, said: “Our challenge was to balance intimate, domestic living spaces which evoke a sense of home with design-led hotel-style communal spaces that encourage people to work and play. We spent a lot of time researching and curating colour palettes to shape these spaces. We developed three distinct palettes – sand, sage, and taro – to imbue a sense of cosiness and calm into the guest studios.”
‘The palettes for the bedrooms and communal spaces are strikingly different purposefully. For the communal areas, we also chose to use long tables that invite people to sit conversationally. We adopted several of the concepts that we bring to a hospitality setting for the shared spaces. On the top-floor communal spaces, the design is specifically focused on entertainment, creating space for dinner parties and drinks – allowing a balance between work and play for guests,” she added.
Studios at Wembley Ark start from £1,131 a month including bills.
