Shabby Chic - 40 Winks

If ever there was a poster-boy for gorgeous hotel interiors in London, then 40 Winks was it. Quirky, cool and the perfect antidote to identikit chain hotels, it’s like stepping onto a wonderfully whimsical, eclectic film set with a mix of antiques that runs from ornate gilt-edged mirrors, vintage dressing tables and music stands, right the way through to an old Beatles drum kit. In fact, you could spend hours (enviously) ogling the selection of curiosities that have been put together with the unmistakable eye of interior designer David Carter. Needless to say, it’s been a fashion shoot favourite since it opened.

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Objets d’art - The Zetter Townhouse

Toning things down on the scale of eclecticism (albeit only marginally) is the recently opened Zetter Townhouse. The first thing that hits you (once you've crossed the unassuming Regency townhouse threshold), is the refreshingly bold use of colour. Forget terribly tasteful whites and taupes, here colourful carpets line the corridors to 13 rooms in different shades, from burnt umbers to jade greens with a selection of stripes in between. Eccentric, trendy and downright amusing, Indian rugs cover the floors, tassled lamps provide a bit of sass and there’s even an unusual stuffed collection of objets d’art, from a stag’s head to a selection of fish mounted on the walls.

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Diamond in the Rough - Rough Luxe

Rough Luxe is the sort of place that inspires you to hole up in one of the rooms and write a novel, such is its gorgeous bohemian style. Tucked away down a side street on the edge of King's Cross, the Grade II-listed building is a rare find. The man behind the design is the multi-talented (qualified architect and interior designer) Rabih Hage. The ‘rough’ part comes in the shape of the distressed walls and bare light bulbs, which beautifully complement the ‘luxe’ free-standing copper bathtubs, original Gilbert & George portrait, wrought-iron antique chandeliers and some beautiful Susan Shupp collages.

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The Bold and the Beautiful - Number Sixteen

If all this shabby chic and cabinet-of-curiosities-type styling isn't really your thing, then you should book a stay at the seriously upmarket Number Sixteen, where there’s not an exposed brick or rogue vintage suitcase in sight. Hidden away in leafy South Kensington, the Victorian terrace opens out onto some interiors that even ELLE Deco would be jealous of (although, with Kit Kemp behind the designs, their exquisiteness is no surprise). Bedrooms are (in typical Kemp style) fresh, modern and very, very English with heaps of bold printed fabrics. Bathrooms up the luxe-factor with granite and oak, while back downstairs, the two elegant drawing rooms offer carved wooden chandeliers and some gorgeous over-sized butterfly artwork on the walls.

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Urban Chic - The Town Hall Hotel

If none of this appeals, and your taste in hotel interiors is of a more minimal persuasion, then the Town Hall Hotel in oh-so-trendy Bethnal Green might be more up your street. The 98 design-led bedrooms (accessed after click-clacking your way across a vast marble-floored reception) mix grand, corniced ceilings and parquet floors with Art Deco furniture and a sleek, stripped back feel. Not only is it innovative (it was the first hotel in London to create a patterned metal veil exterior) it’s also won award after award within the design industry and drawn accolades from the English Heritage. If you're posed with the challenge of impressing a design-obsessed boyfriend, take him to the De Montfort Suite with its soaring triple-height ceiling and stained glass panels, or the (slightly) more reasonably priced Signature Suite, with its original plasterwork, twin sinks, glass partitions and abundance of white space.

Read our full review of the Town Hall Hotel

Like our selection of the best hotel interiors in London, but looking for something a little more practical? Check out our pick of the best chic and cheap places to stay in London.