Client : Jurys Inn and Leonardo Hotels UK & Ireland
Business : Hotel
Location : City Centre, Manchester
Completed : 2022

In 2019, NoChintz started work on defining the interiors for Leonardo Hotel’s first new build hotel to be located within a new neighbourhood emerging within Manchester; Piccadilly East. With the buildings architecture already winning awards, the brief was to create an interior which continued the precedent set by the exterior and deliver ‘a moment of calm amongst the urban clutter’, attracting families, working stays, city breakers and groups to the area. As a developing brand within the UK market NoChintz also needed to define a new brand standard and reposition the lifestyle aspect of Leonardo Hotels.

With a striking ‘Jenga’ exterior as the starting block, NoChintz set too, designing interior spaces with purpose. Exploration into positive and negative space helped to shape the interior journey; appropriating pace, drama and calm as you move through the building. Structured layers which drive the operational needs of the spaces are offset by organic textures, tones and materials which contrast the disciplined framework derived from the exterior. A language of binary pattern and woven formats emerged, referencing local histories of the enigma code and textile industry without being overtly themed. Adding a textural language which adapted the brutalist exterior concrete forms into a tactile, human scale.

The public ground floor space extends along the western façade flowing from hotel lobby to lounge, bar and into restaurant. Mixed seating styles accommodate the flexible use and offer up moments for working, socialising, dining and entertaining. The man-made vs organic materials striking juxtaposition is iconified by the exterior architecture and is prevalent with the ground floor interiors. Smooth extruded surfaces reflect light creating a bright and open sense of arrival in the lobby. A custom Jenga block reception extends out greeting guests and pulling them in. Moving through to the bar, heavy weave fabrics from Bute and Kvadrat absorb light, conveying a sense of warmth and relaxation across furniture pieces from Tom Dixon, Norman Copenhagen, and Bolia. The juxtaposition between surface textures creates a balanced environment where materials play off each other’s distinctions.

As you move up the hotel a balance between industry and nature is explored as the theory of divine proportion is executed, underpinning Leonardo’s standards by their namesake. Working in thirds, considerations of ratio and balance feature within the wayfinding as it leads you through to your room. The bedrooms, with ensuite bathrooms, take a more intimate approach than the public areas. Deep green tones ground the rooms, where a tapestry of blockwork forms play off one another to create a minimalist, comfortable room which caters to the mixed customer base.

NoChintz have injected their signature design approach to the project, tackling the brief holistically. Challenging the need for a private meeting rooms, opting for functional spaces within the public areas, and introducing a wellness suite with endless possibilities for ongoing activation. Aesthetic details are seamlessly woven throughout; artworks design by the studio take abstract studies of the building’s architectural forms and screen-print these to heavy cotton. Guest room window dressings feature a seamless pattern which was developed from digital renders of the building’s exterior layout. 

Leonardo Hotel Manchester Piccadilly subtly celebrates juxtapositions and finds balance through contrast. Delivering a scheme which weaves together a reductive palette of texture and tone to arrive at an approachable and thought-provoking space.