Luxury with an environmental conscientiousness

With Crosstree Real Estate Partners as owners and the GA Group appointed to lead on interiors, Sternlicht initiated introducing his nature-inspired ethos to the capital. Originally ‘The Holiday Inn’ on Berkeley Street and a commercial building on Piccadilly, the plan had been to clear the entire site and redevelop it into a luxury hotel and residences. However, the decision was made instead to rehabilitate the building. With construction started during the quiet period of the pandemic 80% of the existing structure was retained making a significant carbon saving.

The idea was to be sustainable through design, drawing attention to the beauty of the natural environment. It was important for the design team to be locally based, with talent and a sensitivity to create something that was immediately embraced and celebrated by the community. 

With GA Group taking the lead on the lobby, bar and lounge and the 181 guestrooms, Dion + Arles designed "Dovetale" the ground-floor restaurant. From there you can pass through the alleyway link connecting to ‘Dover Yard’, a wonderful social space for everyone.

Jessica Morrison, Associate at GA Group is responsible for creating the refined and localised interiors; although American 1 Hotels (1 Hotel Mayfair is their 10th) are more industrial and rustic, 1 Hotel London has the sophistication of Mayfair, but the twist is about its craftsmanship, using natural materials and nature to inspire a new way of luxury living - which lets nature take centre stage.

Tekne were instructed to realise the interior fit out, crafting the design ambition of a natural environment into a luxury reality – working with each designer to create a seamless immersive experience of nature.

Upon entering 1 Hotel Mayfair, one cannot miss the dramatic living chandelier by Studio Patrick Nadeau, a 4m diameter dome, hand-covered with over 50,000 strands of Tillandsia Usneoides (air plants) creating a spectacular rainforest experience. Then proceed to the reception desk - a colossal trunk of a British Oak tree, its front face is the gently sanded gnarls and crevasses of centuries aged bark, but the reception desk side is a wonder of cabinetry and functional ergonomic craftsmanship. From its storm - felled origins on an estate in the British East Sussex countryside, Tekne nurtured it on its journey through our sawmill into our factory where our carpenters created one of the most singularly unique pieces of cabinetry around today, before carefully installing it for its next function as 1 Hotel Mayfair’s reception desk… giving second life to nature.

The stunning bar counter is a mosaic of 3,000 feathers collected from local pigeon fanciers and carefully layered within a singular countertop is a Masterclass of precision and patience.

Whilst stood at the reception desk you will hear the soothing trickle of water running down the 7m tall travertine fins which cleverly screen the lifts. The theme of nature continues throughout the interior spaces, slices of wood serve as low level tables, oak panelling shields statuesque colonnades, whilst the silver birch Spa provides a calm and light and space. Furniture, lighting, accessories, art installations and over 1,300 plants, ranging from shrubs and trees to living moss walls are a constant reminder of the beauty of nature which is at the heart of 1 Hotel London… and how did this come to be - Interior Fitout Implementation & Design Realisation, was all undertaken by Tekne.