The journal

The Bristol and The Kensington Hotels Feature Mylands Plant-Based Paints to Reimagine Their Spaces

26 June 2024 4 min read

Mylands is delighted to see its colours featured in the recent transformations by The Doyle Collection at The Bristol and The Kensington hotels. Discover more.

Mylands is delighted to see its colours featured in the recent transformation projects undertaken by The Doyle Collection at The Bristol and The Kensington hotels. The Doyle Collection is a family-owned luxury hotel business that, like Mylands, seeks to lessen its impact on the planet through sustainable means, especially in its refurbishments, choosing Mylands' well-known, sustainably led Plant-Based Multi-Surface paints to refresh both hotels' restaurants.

Mylands spoke with Ananth Ramaswamy, The Doyle Collection's Group Project Architect, who worked in tandem with the hotel owner to envision the new look for both spaces. First, The Bristol, in its namesake city, sits at the heart of the thriving creative quarter by the waterfront, but the restaurant interiors for The River Grille and Rick's bar felt too dark and heavy, dressed in a deep burgundy that no longer suited a daytime restaurant.

Hotel bar dining area with walls in Onslow No.48, a textured white fireplace, rattan pendant lights and cane armchairs — Walls in Onslow™ No.48 at Rick's bar in The Bristol

The Kensington, in one of London's most charming neighbourhoods, is steeped in heritage décor, and its restaurant, Town House, had a neutral French Grey interior that felt dated and uninspiring. Ramaswamy was tasked with refreshing both to create an uplifting ambience.

With sustainability at the core of both businesses, it was natural for The Doyle Collection and Mylands to work together. The Doyle Collection specified Mylands Plant-Based Multi-Surface paints, perfect for coating interior and exterior walls, ceilings and a multitude of surfaces including wood, metal and plastic.

This finish was ideal thanks to its sustainable qualities: over 50% bio-based, meaning more than half the carbon comes from plant sources rather than petroleum, water-based with low VOC, virtually solvent-free and low in microplastics. It's of the highest quality, providing incredible depth of colour and opacity so less paint achieves maximum coverage, and all Mylands paints are handcrafted at our West Norwood factory, minimising our carbon footprint and helping us track our sustainability targets.

Hotel restaurant dining room with walls and woodwork in Soho Pink No.266, chinoiserie wallpaper panels and green and yellow armchairs — Walls and woodwork in Soho Pink™ No.266 at the Town House restaurant in The Kensington

On using Mylands, Ramaswamy says: "[Mylands paints] are durable and have the level of finish our guests expect." - Ananth Ramaswamy.

On choosing the new colours, Ramaswamy describes a considered approach: "The way we choose paint depends on the individual room. Pulling out a particular colour causes an emotional response, it can uplift, make you feel more relaxed or more stimulated; we take that into account when designing a space and what response we want our guests to have to it."

Ramaswamy aimed to reinvigorate The Bristol with a light, airy conservatory feel through colour and texture, without changing the interior décor, achieved with a nature-inspired palette: Serpentine™ No.192, a natural pale olive-green that captures the essence of nature and brings it into any space; Onslow™ No.48, a soft beige neutral that brightens a room by being light in colour; and London Brown™ No.287, a rich, dark brown that's earthy and inviting, enveloping people in a comforting, relaxed atmosphere.

Restaurant dining room with pale olive-green walls in Serpentine No.192, laid tables and a potted palm — Left, walls in Serpentine™ No.192 at The River Grille; right, walls in London Brown™ No.287 at Rick's bar, both at The Bristol

Bar banquette set against tongue-and-groove panelling painted in the deep brown London Brown No.287 — Left, walls in Serpentine™ No.192 at The River Grille; right, walls in London Brown™ No.287 at Rick's bar, both at The Bristol

Banquette seating along the windows of a hotel bar, the walls in Onslow No.48 under clustered rattan pendants — Another corner of Rick's bar at The Bristol, its walls in Onslow™ No.48

For The Kensington's restaurant, the architect sought a shade that enhanced the mauve hues in a chinoiserie wallpaper by Thibaut Design chosen for the room, and Mylands' iconic Soho Pink™ No.266 was ideal, a Mylands staple that is not only pretty but bathes a space in warmth and elegance.

"[Soho Pink™ No.266] is a lovely tone that brings the whole interior scheme together, making it a more interesting room to dine in at any time of day." - Ananth Ramaswamy.

Bay window corner of a hotel dining room, its walls and joinery in Soho Pink No.266 with narrow chinoiserie wallpaper panels between the sashes — Left, the bay window at Town House; right, the Thibaut chinoiserie wallpaper set against Soho Pink™ No.266

Panel of chinoiserie wallpaper framed by Soho Pink No.266 walls, with a table between two yellow velvet armchairs — Left, the bay window at Town House; right, the Thibaut chinoiserie wallpaper set against Soho Pink™ No.266

Both projects featured these colours in Mylands' Plant-Based Multi-Surface Paint in Eggshell (20% sheen). If you're staying at The Bristol or The Kensington, be sure to visit the restaurants to see our Mylands colours in situ.