In 2020, the former Whiteleys shopping centre in London’s Bayswater began its grand transformation, set to complete in late 2023. The redevelopment of this iconic London landmark unites some of the most talented architects and developers to breathe radical life into an architectural icon. With architecture by Foster & Partners and interior design by Finchatton, the masterplan includes the UK’s first and flagship property for The Whiteley London, as well as 14 private residences modelled to the same signature style and standards of the debuting Six Senses hotel.
Originally William Whiteley Limited, and later Whiteleys, the building housed what was London’s first luxury department store of 1911. The store preserves the original intention for Whiteleys as ‘a blend of a retail emporium and a meeting place for all’ where in late 2023, visitors and residents can expect to arrive at the restored Grade II-listed façade on Queensway, where its famous clock and sculptures showcasing the building’s original heritage and craftsmanship will stand once again.
Renowned interior designers Finchatton will transform the exclusive residences by combining the property’s Art Deco heritage with the latest in British innovation and design. After spending almost two decades at the pinnacle of luxury property design, interior design and development, Finchatton’s signature hallmark of sophisticated elegance and timeless style continue to inspire and excite the world’s most discerning clientele. The redevelopment of The Whiteley residences follows the exquisite Twenty Grosvenor Square development in Mayfair, the first standalone Private Residences at Four Seasons, London.
The 14 residence designs are modelled from the exceptional architectural features of the 139 modern apartments and townhouses at The Whiteley. Featuring unprecedented scale and impressive ceiling heights of six meters, proportioned with the generosity of space in mind.
In fact, the interiors are set to be an extension of the hotel experience, designed with the sophisticated elegance and outstanding craftsmanship for which Finchatton are renowned. Tactile details include minimalist yet homely parquet wooden flooring with luscious planting and modern finishes. As a practical and convenient offering for owners, each residence includes a selection of contemporary furniture providing elegance and comfort, sourced from UK and European manufacturers to be in keeping with a sustainable brief.
Residents of the 14 residences will also have access to a spectrum of amenities, including the adjoining Six Senses spa hotel, a holistic experience rooted in immersive wellness and sustainability. Offerings will include a state-of-the-art fitness studio, 20-metre indoor swimming pool, steam room and Alchemy bar. Both residents and members will also benefit from a new kind of social and wellness private members’ club, housing wellness rooms, meeting spaces and a restaurant with a remarkable level of service usually found only in a five-star hotel. Homeowners can even place their residences into the hotel inventory for up to 90 days of the year, offsetting costs and earning 60% of the net revenue created from the hotel’s use.
“The apartments are designed to provide the hotel guest with Six Senses hospitality within a more residential setting,” says Phil Waterson, Design Lead at Finchatton. “Therefore, all of the fixtures and fittings provided will mimic a traditional hotel stay while adding a few additional touches to make the guest feel at home”. From artwork to accessories to glassware and kitchen equipment, the guest can choose to immerse themselves fully in the hotel experience or enjoy a more independent stay.
The bathrooms were designed to return to the early 1900’s and the history of the original Whiteley building by including refined references to heritage and craftsmanship. The minimalist detail and palette choice of clean, fresh materials allow for the spaces to be enhanced and dressed by the individual resident. Stone mosaic flooring in an Art Deco pattern alongside the dark crittall style framing of shower screens complement the steel windows and stone floors of this historic building. Landmark Pure floor standing bath & shower mixers and matching basin fillers made the perfect fixtures to introduce authentic history into the ‘holistic hideaways’ while paving the way for a modern living experience.
“Samuel Heath were selected as the supplier of brassware for the project because of the company’s rich heritage as one of Britain’s oldest traditional brass founders and as such, an easy choice to fit the narrative of craftsmanship-led restoration and refurbishment driving the development,” continues Waterson. “The Landmark Pure range has a clean simple design which references heritage while also looking forward, neatly fitting into the overall aesthetic of the residential interiors – with the Chrome Plate finish giving a hint of modernity to a classic design.” All of the residence bathrooms are very similar in style to fully replicate the bathroom designs of The Whiteley private apartments, using Six Senses branded products, robes and towels to layer the hotel experience over the residential.
Bringing the hotel experience to the forefront of residential design almost contradicts one of the hotel industry’s most enduring cliches of the ‘home away from home’. This unconventional design is set to attract free-thinkers and the perfect future inhabitants for the wider Bayswater regeneration. The Whiteley hotel and residences will form the centrepiece for the major regeneration of Queensway, where collective landowner investment will allow for over half the street’s existing fabric to be revitalised into a buzzing social hub.
Landmark Pure brassware encapsulates the narratives of heritage, authenticity and modernist design behind the redevelopment of the iconic London landmark.
“Samuel Heath were selected as the supplier of brassware because of the company’s rich heritage as one of Britain’s oldest traditional brass founders and as such, an easy choice to fit the narrative of craftsmanship-led restoration and refurbishment driving the development” – Paul Waterson, Design Lead, Finchatton
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