Ian Schrager is a man who requires little introduction. A firm fixture on the contemporary hospitality scene for over three decades, the charismatic New Yorker can be credited with spearheading the boutique hotel sector by introducing his now trademark social lobbies in lodgings from the Royalton to Miami’s iconic Delano. This month sees Schrager opening the doors of his newest project in the capital, 15 years since his first foray in London’s West End.
Located just a stone’s throw from Oxford Street, The London Edition is the second offering from Schrager’s new pairing with Marriott International (following the Istanbul Edition) and is housed within the grand confines of the old Berners Street Hotel. ‘15 years ago, I used to walk past this building every day and I always dreamed about building a hotel here that was special,’ says Schrager.
A one-time home to 20th century luminaries such as King Edward VII and Russian jeweller, Carl Fabergé, the property dates back to 1835 and many of its extravagant original details have been meticulously restored by the Ian Schrager Company Design Studio and New York-based firm Yabu Pushelberg. The hotel's sophisticated interiors, in warming palettes of dusty rose, khaki and mustard tones, are elegantly furnished with eclectic pieces inspired by Salvador Dali and American artist Donald Judd.
The restaurant, run by the Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton, is dominated by two giant bronze chandeliers and an eccentric floor-to-ceiling mishmash of photographic portraits, landscapes and still-lifes. The 173 wood-panelled rooms feature original artworks and the penthouse suite offers 360-degree views. There is also a cosy den-like cocktail bar called the Punch Room and, in a nod to Schrager’s seminal Studio 54, a hermetically sealed dance club in the basement will feature lighting designed by celebrated specialist Patrick Woodroffe. ‘It’s like dancing in a recording studio or on a film’s sound stage where the dancers are the performers,’ says Schrager.
In typical Schrager-style, it is of course, the lobby that is the true centrepiece. Focusing on work as well as play, the area boasts a Judd-inspired black walnut table fitted with desktop computers, a bar and an antique billiard table - all presided over by a dramatic Ingo Maurer polished silver sphere light.
Schrager, it seems, is once again upping the game. ‘About 15 to 20 years ago in London, I had the market almost to myself,' he says. 'Now there are other options out there. It kind of invigorates me - it makes it more special. I’m not ready to give up the [hotel king] title yet'.
The restaurant, run by Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton, is dominated by two giant bronze chandeliers and an eccentric floor-to-ceiling mishmash of photographic portraits, landscapes and still-lifes.
The cosy, den-like cocktail bar, called the Punch Room
The Ian Schrager Company Design Studio teamed up with New York-based firm Yabu Pushelberg to create contrasting, simple and sophisticated interiors in warming palettes of dusty rose, khakis and mustards
The 173 wood-panelled rooms feature original artworks.
One of the simple, white-tiled bathrooms
In typical Schrager-style, the lobby is the true centrepiece. Focusing on work as well as play, the area boasts a Judd-inspired black walnut table fitted with desktop computers, a bar and an antique billiard table - all presided over by a dramatic Ingo Maurer polished silver sphere light
ADDRESS
The London Edition
10 Berners Street
London W1T 3NP
-
Norman Foster and Porsche reimagine movement at the 19th Venice Architecture BiennaleNorman Foster Foundation and Porsche collaborate on 'Gateway to Venice's Waterway', a flagship installation at the 19th global architecture biennale
-
What not to miss at NYCxDesign 2025, according to our editorsFrom mega furniture fairs to can't-miss parties, here's what to catch at North America's biggest celebration of design
-
These Loro Piana sunglasses are inspired by the house’s superlative garmentsContinuing the house’s continent-crossing journey to find the very best materials – from Mongolia to New Zealand – Loro Piana’s new sunglasses collection takes it to Japan, where the first titanium frames were made in the 1980s
-
Fin-to-gill sophistication awaits to Tom Brown at The CapitalExpect ambitious cooking from the country’s most creative seafood chef
-
A first look inside Josephine Marylebone, a bistro-licious French restaurantFollowing the success of Claude and Lucy Bosi’s first restaurant, in Chelsea, Josephine Marylebone is the second outpost, fitted with an oyster bar and a focus on classic French cuisine
-
The Kerfield Arms is south-east London’s hot new gastropubIn Camberwell, this stripped-back haunt comes courtesy of the team behind The Baring in Hoxton
-
Premium patisserie Naya is Mayfair’s latest sweet spotHeritage meets opulence at Naya bakery in Mayfair, London. With interiors by India Hicks and Anna Goulandris, the patisserie looks good enough to eat
-
One Club Row is London’s answer to the Lower East SideLocated at the site of the former hotspot Les Trois Garçons, One Club Row brings back noughties glamour with 19th-century interiors, gourmet bites, and jazz nights
-
Marylebone restaurant Nina turns up the volume on Italian diningAt Nina, don’t expect a view of the Amalfi Coast. Do expect pasta, leopard print and industrial chic
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Treehouse Hotel Manchester: you may not want to leafTreehouse Hotel Manchester offers a nature-infused biophilic sanctuary amidst the city’s ever-growing architectural canopy
-
Dining at Pyrá feels like a Mediterranean kiss on both cheeksDesigned by House of Dré, this Lonsdale Road addition dishes up an enticing fusion of Greek and Spanish cooking
