Art-school style influences Dayna Lee’s Bankside design

Autograph Collection Hotels, part of Marriott International, recently opened Bankside, a new hotel on the south bank of London's River Thames. 

Led by Dayna Lee of Los Angeles’ Powerstrip Studio, the design of the six-story hotel incorporates the historical ethos of its surroundings within the aesthetic. As a film-set art director-turned-hotel designer, Lee took a light-hearted and laid-back approach to the hotel’s design. According to Lee, the design of Bankside has an art-school style with added polish, an appreciation for mid-century art and black line drawings.

Lee commissioned British craftsmen to create key features in the hotel and pay homage to its heritage. For instance, Laura Carlin, a ceramicist and illustrator from London, provided two wall murals composed of illustrated tiles that bring in the cultural narratives of the South Bank area; and Malgorzata Bany, a London-based artist and designer, created a series of tables.

Bankside also partnered with Contemporary Collective to run a rolling Maker in Residence program. This permanent space offers emerging artists opportunity to showcase their work. It is located on the ground floor of the hotel with direct access onto a communal courtyard space. The first Makers in Residence will be London-based urban landscape painters Luke M. Walker and Andrea Tyrimos, who are collaborating for the first time. Contemporary Collective, which will manage and curate the space, is an online gallery founded in 2006 by Elinor Olisa and Isobel Beauchamp. Bankside also commissioned three pieces from Helen Gorrill to create three portraits of iconic people who have had a connection to the area.

Chef Lee Streeton, formerly of 45 Jermyn Street, leads Art|Yard, an all-day restaurant.

Situated near Tate Modern, British Film Institute and Borough Market, the 161-room hotel joins the portfolio of more than 150 Autograph Collection Hotels around the world.

Photo credit: Bankside