MATTHEW BALON, HEAD OF DESIGN, RUBY HOTELS

Matthew Balon’s first exposure to the world of interior design was at the age of just 16, when he worked in his hometown of Chicago under the interior designer Hattie Smith on exclusive residential projects and practices. He then progressed to working with large hotel names of the likes of Marriott, Sheraton, Westin and Radisson Blu, before making the decision to move to Munich in 2017 to study interior architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts. Matthew is now a member of the Bavarian Chamber of Architects and holds the title of interior designer. After completing his studies, Matthew successfully took on planning and implementation projects in the high-security area of Munich Airport whilst working at German architecture firm Ochs Schmidhuber Architekten. His work also included project management of various shopfitting projects for brands such as Emporio Armani, Etro and Esprit. Matthew has been with Ruby Hotels since 2017, is head of the design team and with that, he is responsible for the design of all new hotel and works projects.

For Matthew, the appeal of interior architecture is its variety and flexibility, and the opportunity it presents to take a project from concept to completion. “It covers such a wide spectrum –youstartinthebeginningandit’sreallyconceptual,thenyou havetheresearchphasewhereyouhaveloadsofideas,and you end up on the jobsite and it’s really hands-on. There’s always something different and something new. I like the conceptual and design stages a lot, but it’s also fun and makes for a diverse role when you’re on site putting out fires and taking care of things,” he says. The faster-paced nature of working with a smaller brand is something that Matthew appreciates, acknowledging the creative freedom it allows him. “The way that large brands and small brands are run is so different – if you’re trying to get a design approved from a big brand, that process takes a very long time. With Ruby, I’m basically my own customer, so if I come up with an idea and say I want to try it out, I can get the sign off, order what I need and it’s on site two weeks later. Everything being much faster makes it really fun,” he explains.

Ruby Lucy London marks the brand’s first hotel in the UK, located in the Lower Marsh area behind Waterloo Station. With the architects having already developed the shell of the building, Matthew and his team knew that they wanted the hotel to fit seamlessly into the streetscape, and began researching what made this part of London special. As with all of Ruby’s projects, Matthew was keen for the hotel to reflect the feel and history of the area, and upon further investigation discovered the significance of the local market, which dates back to the 1500s. In addition, Matthew learnt that the South Bank area of London had a history of being a hub for entertainment.