Hotel review: Hart Shoreditch Hotel – the moment of Mali Mowka

Hart Shoreditch Hotel is housed within a handsome new build, just round the corner from Spitalfields Market and in the other direction, Brick Lane. But the story behind the building goes all the way back to the 1800s, with the hotel taking its name from its previous occupants, The Harts, a family of cabinetmakers, honouring a thread of craftsmanship that the hotel nods to throughout, and one you’ll pick up on the more you get to know the place.

The hotel delivers a tranquil, elegant vibe, and is the perfect base to explore all the local area has to offer, including Columbia Road Flower Market, independent boutiques, and an array of surrounding restaurant and bars.

The display of local creativity is central to Hart Shoreditch, having different artists showcase their work in the hotel, making no two visits the same. This season, we visited during the Mali Mowcka takeover, an exhibition all about the journey of reconnecting with yourself – and in a hotel this considered, it is hard not to slow down and notice the details.

On arrival, you are greeted with the statement lobby which sits alongside the main bar, and here, you are instantly introduced to Mowcka’s art, who has beautifully threaded her exploration of ‘inner transformation’ in unexpected curves and corners of the hotel. Her artwork is placed around the hotel, in sculptural wooden forms, with sweeping curves, each piece unfolds themes of “growth, rebirth, and continued change,” says Mowcka.

The lobby and bar together creates a combination of both design and comfort, which can be hard when combining a lobby and bar space. The first detail I noticed was the lighting shaped like cabinetmaker’s boxes, one of the quiet nods to the area’s industrial past – this created a soft, ambient lighting throughout, contrasting against cooler daylight from the street-facing windows, giving a refreshing feel. The green from the planting creates an earthy feel, which then shifts into deeper woods, against a base of deep browns and creams, through to a burnt orange wall marking UBA. The room subtly keeps the two separate, yet connected – the lobby doubles as a multi-functioning seating area too, where guests may both work and linger.

The lobby keeps that work-meets-play balance going, with mixed low-slung seating, using sofas, cushioned benches, armchairs in varied shapes all arranged in loose conversational clusters rather than rigid rows. The heritage bones are still on show too, with exposed structural beams and columns left bare and painted white.

The colours and lighting deepen as you head upstairs. The 126 guestrooms unfold with a quiet vision of a study with grey walls and oak floors. Despite its scale, the room retained a quaint, cocoon-like feel, snug enough to feel like an urban retreat rather than just a sleep.

Image credit: Hart Shoreditch

I stayed in one of the deluxe guest rooms, where a vast, plush bed takes centre stage, though it was the smaller touches that lingered. Think Roberts radios, robes so fluffy you’ll want to sneak them home in your suitcase, and lighting that flatters the sweeping views over East London. Peppered round the room are little nods to Shoreditch itself, giving the room that home-from-home feeling that keeps you connected to the city outside.

The warm oak climbs up from the floor, to built-in open shelving along one wall housing books and ceramics, making the room feel homely. The mood slightly shifts as you step into the bathroom, a touch more elegant, playing off the rustic glamour of the bedroom next door. It’s coated in white marble, with buttery lighting, giving it weight and luxury, but also warmth that feels made for winding down. A white marble bathroom never fails for me – clean, crisp, refreshing, especially when you’re away from home. The deliberate touch here is how homely it feels, as well as luxurious, without losing that sense of comfort. There’s something about staying in a hotel in your own city, the comfort of knowing your surroundings, where the nearest coffee shop is, or the closest shop if you’ve forgotten anything. Hart, with its intentional connection to London, taps into that familiarity, and elevates it.

UBA, the beating heart of the hotel’s food and drink offering, doesn’t need to lean on its menu – as good as it is, the space itself is the real draw. The deep, plush reds that play against exposed wooden beams which are echoed on the ceiling, adding warmth, the lighting is kept low and sensual, while planting winds through the space in a staggered, layered arrangement which softens the richness of the reds against the wooden beams.

Image credit: Hart Shoreditch

Beyond UBA, where the rock shrimp tempura and whole marinated baby chicken are both worth ordering, colour does much of the storytelling, its playful, artistic intention runs seamlessly throughout. Designed in partnership with London-based interior design consultancy Fabled Studio, Hart Shoreditch is London’s most stylish hotspot from Curio Collection by Hilton,  laid-back, elegant, and the perfect break from the city outside. It’s a hotel that blends Shoreditch’s vibrant heritage with modern-day creativity.

Image credit: Hart Shoreditch

Sanctum of Renewal by Mali Mowcka

Hart Shoreditch has also partnered with contemporary urban artist Mali Mowcka to curate this year’s installation for the London Design Festival.

Mowcka will create approximately 160-200 suspended handcrafted wooden pieces with organic forms, emerging from the ceiling and descending into the space. Intertwined with soft translucent resin petals floating delicately throughout the installation, the works introduce a sense of lightness and contrast, creating an atmosphere that feels both immersive and ethereal.

Main image credit: Hart Shoreditch