The Mandrake is a 34-room boutique hotel in Fitzrovia, Central London, converted from a pair of office buildings which previously housed a TV production company. Deliberately understated on the outside, it is magical on the inside. An unprepossessing entrance tunnel leads from the street to a vibrant lobby, restaurant and bar. Each is connected in an enfilade sequence around a central glazed courtyard. Above these social spaces is a larger, private terrace surrounded on all sides by a three-storey hanging garden of jasmine and passion flowers. This soft, green cascade cloaks the elevated walkways that bridge between the guest rooms, wrapping like a curtain around the guests within. The guest rooms are arranged around the internal courtyard, each with full-height glazed doors opening onto the walkways or private terraces. The vertical planting is interrupted by other forms, clad in weathered iroko reclaimed from the building’s previous incarnation, including a lift shaft with tattoo-lined interior, a hidden private bar and a glazed greenhouse dining room. Secreted on the lower ground floor are WCs with a shared hand wash area equipped with specially designed hanging brass tubes that light the basins and provide warm running water. This subterranean area includes antechambers, seating spaces and a black walled ‘anti-gallery’ and live performance space.