Claridge's is, without doubt, the Grande Dame of London hotels, so the unveiling of their new restaurant is a significant event for the capital’s dining scene. The restaurant has been re-defined as a classic brasserie that reflects the signature style of the hotel, returning the space to the timeless Art-Deco elegance for which the hotel is famed.
A beacon for the beau monde, Claridge’s became synonymous with high glamour in the 1920’s and 30’s, which was also the heyday of Art-Deco design. During those decades, the hotel, which is richly layered with fabulous characteristics of this decadent style (such as the foyer’s opulent glass screens by Art-Deco pioneer Basil Ionides), assumed its status as an Art-Deco icon.
Inside Claridge’s new restaurant
The brief to create a brasserie at Claridge’s required a design that would honour the unique heritage of the hotel, and present a space that feels as if it had always been part of the fabric of the building. The project was entrusted to Bryan O’Sullivan Studio, already familiar with Claridge’s Art-Deco design language, having designed the hotel’s rose onyx bar, The Painter’s Room, and several suites.
O’Sullivan and his team immersed themselves in Claridge’s extraordinary archive, referencing previous iterations of the restaurant, and restoring many notable features that had been obscured, including light sconces and wall niches that bestow depth and drama to the space. Glorious stained- glass sunbeam skylights, designed by Guy Oliver, were uncovered from a previous incarnation and gave inspiration for O’Sullivan’s new vision; their shape is echoed in the elaborate architrave around the kitchen door, and on the front panels of the restaurant bar. This exquisite jewel-like bar features a scalloped wall painted in a rippling tortoise shell pattern (a classic Art-Deco motif.) It makes a gorgeous focal point in the room - aglow with the promise of a perfectly mixed Claridges cocktail.
The new restaurant is beautiful. Airy and uplifting, it occupies a large and well proportioned room hued in soft tones, with dusky pink curtains and bottle green banquettes. Slabs of striking Calcutta Viola marble and antique brass fittings add to the grandeur, and the walls showcase art from the hotel's impressive collection, including pieces by Sean Scully and Richard Gorman. A pair of imposing glass doors open from the restaurant into a private dining room that is both grand and intimate - the studio collaborated with Artist Sam Wood, who painted its walls in a whimsical representation of panelling, creating a space with warmth and character.
Whilst located in the heart of Mayfair and only moments from the exciting array of shops on Bond Street, the restaurant offers a tranquil retreat in which to relax and enjoy the delicious modern British menu - classic dishes, elevated to Claridge’s high levels of finesse. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the restaurant is accessible through the hotel’s famously magnificent lobby, but guests may also slip in via the original, separate entrance on Davies Street, which has been re-instated, adding an alluring sense of privacy.
O’Sullivan has delicately but definitively revived the original identity of Claridge’s restaurant with, as he explains: ‘a subtle and contemporary re-imagining of deco,’ that returns it to full, seductive splendour. The restaurant and The Painter’s Room at Claridges are both featured in Bryan O’Sullivan’s new book, ‘A New Glamour’ published by Rizzoli.
