Café Royal — London, UK
![Double sink in grey bathroom](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8UJGXSG5dPiBaB3dkDhohK-415-80.jpg)
Alfred and Georgi Akirov, the duo behind the Mamilla hotel in Jerusalem (W*127) and the Conservatorium in Amsterdam (W*157), are soon to complete a three year-long project with David Chipperfield Architects transforming the legendary Café Royal into a contemporary hotel, in readiness for hosting guests during the Olympics this summer. Opened in 1865, the Café Royal was the favourite haunt of bohemians and intellectuals such as George Bernard Shaw, Paul Verlaine and Oscar Wilde (who once had too much absinthe in the Grill Room and mistook a waiter stacking chairs for a man watering tulips), and later saw the likes of Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill and, more recently, David Bowie walk through its doors.
Chipperfield’s team restored the original 1860s and 1930s features of the listed Domino and Grill Rooms, which will reopen as a private members’ club and restaurant respectively, and took inspiration from the apartment of Regent Street architect John Nash to create the interiors of the hotel’s spacious 155 rooms with marble, oak and bronze details, high windows and large lobbies. The five suites, meanwhile, have been sympathetically restored by Donald Insall Associates. Our favourites are the Empire Suite, which boasts a massage room, and the Dome Suite located under the building’s copper dome, which has two terraces overlooking Piccadilly Circus and Big Ben. Café Royal opens in September 2012.
ADDRESS
68 Regent Street
London
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
Cabaret, martinis and Yorkshire puddings: The Cockatoo by Bistrotheque has it all
The Cockatoo, a bar, restaurant and performance space designed by Nice Projects, adds spice and rhythm to storied east London venue Bistrotheque
By Daven Wu Published
-
Recharge at Praktyka, the glamping spot all creatives should know
Architectural cabins and art workshops await at Praktyka, a creative retreat on the wild North Devon coast
By Tom Howells Published
-
Tollington’s is the new Spanish-inspired fish bar making a splash in north London
Tollington’s in Finsbury Park is a new opening from the team behind The Plimpsoll, championing Spanish-style dining and interiors
By Billie Brand Published
-
The Orangery at Kensington Palace offers high tea and verdant vistas in a royal London setting
The Orangery at Kensington Palace Gardens is the perfect green setting for a sunny day treat of afternoon tea and more
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Meet Paradise 2.0: the beloved Soho-based Sri Lankan restaurant, reinvented
Paradise 2.0 embraces tropical brutalism following a renovation by Dan Preston Studio
By Billie Brand Published
-
Step inside the majestic Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London
In matching its exclusive and central location, a sleek building by RSHP houses the new ultra-refined Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London
By Lauren Ho Published
-
Soak up London’s sunshine at these stylish rooftop bars
Discover the best London rooftop bars, from the Middle Eastern-themed Yasmin Soho to Spanish tapas haven, Amano Rooftop Bar
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Celebrate summer in Ladbroke Hall’s new garden dining space
The London arts space introduces an al fresco oasis boasting a landscape design by Luciano Giubbilei and a pavilion by Jean Prouvé
By Sofia de la Cruz Published