The Cozy 'Deep Seating' Pits of This New, Design-y London Hotel Might Be the Easiest Way to Make Your Room Feel Like a Holiday
It's no coincidence we've been spotting these generously sized banquettes everywhere
After years of planning holidays around destination hopping in a desperate attempt to tick as many addresses off our hot list as possible, people, it seems, are back enjoying their time off in a more intentional, even erratic, way.
It is a welcome shift that puts presence back into our itineraries, one that the recently opened design hotel Locke Canary Wharf has made even more manifest in its decor choices, which reframe each of its 279 suites as places to feel at home and linger in, rather than mere dormitories.
Unveiled earlier this summer, London hotel Locke Canary Wharf is the latest addition to the lifestyle group's interiors-forward portfolio and was conceived by local studio Holloway Li.
A sneak peek at Locke Canary Wharf's glamorously cinematic scheme, part mid-century, part London whimsy.
Here, against an earthy palette of pale woods, bare cement, and fiery reds, awaits a mid-century modern universe sculpted from bold lines, contrasting finishes — velvet and leather, paper, marbled stone and wood, lacquered — and warm lighting for a glamorously cinematic effect.
It is a design-coded creative hub you'll be happy to swap with mindless sightseeing, at least till you feel fully recharged after a day out, and that shows just how much of a difference specific furniture elements can make to the pace of your holiday experience.
Take a Seat — Inside Locke Canary Wharf's Grounding Design Ethos
Expect a 24-hour gym, inspiring co-working spaces, an all-day café, and a rooftop bar and restaurant alongside comfortably furnished suites filled with scenic views over the River Thames.
We have all been there — exhausted after a long journey right after check-in, unable to either properly rest up or get ready to go out again because of the initial confusion hotel rooms spark when you first get there.
With its wide seating areas styled as retro-fueled, vintage pits, Locke Canary Wharf appears to say "don't worry, there is room for you to stay here."
Part modernist accent, part Japanese-style interior trick, the muted navy blue and chocolatey wood booths Holloway Li equipped the guest bedrooms at Locke Canary Wharf with help you rethink the way you conceive hotels from a place you barely see on the most frenetic trips to somewhere you could potentially live.
Taking up ample corners of the address's River Thames-facing suites, this type of cushioned seating evokes the social-first essence of 1970s conversation pits, and invites guests to get chatting.
Whether enjoying a moment of calm solo away from the frenzy of the Big Smoke or taking the design feature as an excuse to gather friends and family into one room, these booths capture the increasingly slower rhythm that sits at the heart of this year's travel trends.
Breaking 'the Bed-Desk Binary' Through Cushioned Banquettes Made to Linger
Not fully vertical, not fully horizontal: the 'deep seating' pits at Locke Canary Wharf deliver high on that in-between rest setup we need to unwind when OOO.
There is something about hotel bedrooms that hits different, and that lies, largely, in their ability to act as a third space. Not just a place to sleep, nor inherently a place to socialize, suites feel like a hybrid between actual bedrooms and living rooms, an in-between environment furniture helps bring to life.
Home bedrooms, on the other hand, are much more predictable: bed, desk, done. If you want to read, scroll, or just sit with a coffee before the day starts, you're more often than not forced to do it propped against pillows or perched on a stool that wasn't built for it.
Here's where these banquettes step in. Pits like these, or their more attainable cousins, from a simple window seat to low benches and daybeds pushed up against underused corners of a bedroom, bring something psychological along with the decor itself.
They transform the way a room asks to be used, signaling permission to slow down and allowing guests to savor its interior details, as well as their surroundings, comfortably and unrushed.
How to Actually Do It — A 3-Step Guide to Sinking Into Style
Think placement, scale, and materials before getting into this.
1. Placement — The first step in turning these bedroom banquettes into design accents consists of identifying the right placement for them. Under a window or tucked into a corner overlooking one is an obvious yet strategic move. Just like at Locke Canary Wharf, this turns the area into a panoramic viewpoint. In the absence of windows, deep seating like this can bring a twist to the foot of your bed, expanding it further, or a wall that's being underused.
2. Scale — To recreate the look and feel of real conversation pits, a banquette needs real depth (think 24 inches or more). Depth is what gives this interior design trick its lounging feel, setting it aside from ordinary benches. It also gives it its playful edge: unlike shallow seating, which is yet another place to sit 'properly', deep seating leaves room for a little whimsy, as attested by the basement scenes filmed around its conversation pit in Rosebush Pruning.
3. Materials — To make this area stand out from the beds, pull from the same mid-century palette Locke Canary Wharf is working in for a vintage-inspired, textured effect: bouclé and velvet in organic nuances, tailored piping, a low profile with clean, confident lines. Once you've settled on your choice of fabric, consider finishing up the booth with wood for a sculptural, movement-filled look.
Book your room at Locke Canary Wharf for more design inspiration to steal for your home.
Into the Locke aparthotel look? Revisit some of our previously published hotel reviews to explore how the group is reshaping the boundaries of modern hospitality through limited-edition collaborations, place-specific artistry, and stays rooted in immersion in local culture and lifestyle, or get shopping to recreate its cocooning seating booths.
• Lisbon's Locke de Santa Joana is the Free-Spirited Design Hotel Where Old Meets New
Subscribe to the Livingetc newsletter to stay ahead of the curve.
