Paddington is often defined by the frenetic energy of its transit hub: suitcase wheeling crowds off the Heathrow express, commuters rushing to catch their transfers. It’s a wonder, really, that just a few blocks away things can feel so still in Norfolk Square. Tucked in the middle of a row of Victorian townhouses overlooking the leafy garden, Grand Hotel Bellevue feels like a secluded escape. The 60 key boutique hotel feels intimate, tasteful, worldly. Lignée Hotels’ first British outpost, it brings a little French wit to the dignified Victorian residence through the work of Italian architect Fabrizio Casiraghi.

The interiors of the hotel draw from a refined warm palette of deep orange and dark lacquered wood, velvet banquettes and bespoke embroidered tapestries. The front desk feels more like an aristocrat’s drawing room than a hotel lobby.

There’s a “Green Room” downstairs serving breakfast, which feels more like a private dining room than hotel buffet. And then there’s the pint sized Pondicherry Bar, which is perhaps the most classy yet cozy spot to grab a night cap in the neighborhood. The rooms are cozy. Understated, furnished in a tasteful yet practical way, like upper cabins in a 19th century ship. Distinctly British in the colonial influences, and a timeless design that, if you ignore the TV and other modern day amenities, could convince you you’ve stepped back from the 21st century.