London - 3
This is a vertical hotel. From the ground floor entrance in Hanover Square, an imposing balcony allows you to look down to the restaurant (above), designed, like the hotel, by Gwenael Nicolas/Curiosity, based in Tokyo: its whirling Vortex overhead sculpture is a wood piece by Britt Charlie Whinney. From the top (fifth) floor, rise to the rooftop Hanover Bar for 360° views of London. See below.
This modern-luxury Mandarin Oriental London Mayfair is actually more Manhattan than perceived Mayfair. Look out from most of the 50 rooms at similar modern – well, 21st century -buildings, not a hint of exterior greenery anywhere, but that's not offputting. In the Hanover Suite, #406, the cornmeal-coloured carpet has deliberately watered imitated of leaves. The large L-shaped sofa has 12 big plump cushions, two of which are sage green. In a window corner is an all-green comfy chair. The living room has three different kinds of lighting, a frosted standing lamp, a ceiling-hung cluster of glass discs, and a six-lamp chandelier.
