KM Central

KM Central is a three star hotel owned and operated by The University of Edinburgh, offering a quirky ‘left bank’ style interior concept to guests incorporating 45 guestrooms and a breakfast room that doubles as a post graduate student common room.

Working with Edinburgh First, the commercial arm of The University of Edinburgh, 3DReid’s interiors team created a bespoke solution to suit the client’s business case, then designed and delivered this vibrant rebranding and interior concept.

The project refurbished an existing inflexible multipurpose space, used by both students and the general public and addition to renovating 45 guestrooms and associated spaces. Key to the success of the project was the rebranding and repositioning of the spaces within both a commercial hospitality offering, but also increasing the flexibility of the breakfasting room, to facilitate more productive student use.

The space was re-orientated to increase natural light levels and a wider range of seating types was incorporated, with a view to creating varying levels of privacy. The space now operates 24 hrs, serving hotel guest breakfast from early, whilst accommodating students for single or group study, workshops and satellite learning.

Italian large format concrete effect floor tiles were the starting point for the feel of the space, manifesting itself in industrial style features such as exposed ceilings and iron effect wall coverings. A lighter,
more quirky and fun feel was brought in with an eclectic mix of materials, textures and furniture. Bright bursts of colour within the fixed joinery elements and furniture softened the industrial feel. Hundreds of postcards, riveted metal plates, and wire pigeon hole boxes created a variety of feature wallpapers, with wooden pallets forming the public bathroom ceilings and OSB rough boards, ‘branded’ with their delivery information.

The breakfast room, Circa, is also the post graduate student common room, performing as a dining space for the hotel guests in the morning, and a study and relaxation space for the rest of the day. This allowed a mix of different furniture types, from traditional dining style tables and chairs to communal high table seating areas with power sockets for charging phones and laptops.

The exposed ceilings and industrial materials opened up the space, maximising the natural light. In conjunction with the client, the team decided to use furniture rather than fixed screens or acoustic baffles to improve the acoustics. 3DReid’s design introduced high backed sofas and chairs (for group or single study) and three booth seats which featured TVs and upholstered banquette seating running up and over the ceiling.

In the bedrooms, the compact space, 18sqm, was a challenge and we had to use a series of techniques to make the rooms feel light and airy. In some rooms, we made best use of the floor space by having super king size beds which fitted into three corners of the room, under the window, along with various Edinburgh-themed wall murals with different colourways and floor to ceiling mirror in the bathrooms to reflect light back around the room.

3DReid brought to market a new concept hospitality proposal for this project. Working within the existing narrow rooms providing a modern, bespoke scheme aimed at a three star offering. The success of the project is not only in the increased use of the student areas, but also the positive feedback from guests.
The hotel now operates on a much increased occupancy rate, thus generating higher income for the University.