Every material used on and in the building renovation had to be submitted for Listed Building Consent and samples provided for approval, requiring a close relationship with the architectural team
– Maria Vafiadis, MKV Design founder

The Sheraton Grand London Park Lane in Mayfair, London, has been relaunched following a multi-million pound renovation and redesign by interior designers MKV Design and architects Woods Bagot.

The two year project has seen the hotel's 303 guestrooms completely redesigned, and the addition of a new bar and restaurant at street level, a redesigned reception lobby and upgraded public areas including the famed Palm Court Lounge. The Grade II listed Ballroom and Silver Gallery also underwent a sensitive restoration as part of the project.

“We were very conscious of the heritage we were dealing with in this large and prominent listed building on London’s Piccadilly, which has the distinction of being both the first hotel in London constructed with a steel frame back in 1927 and also the only hotel remaining in the capital with extensive Art Deco interiors,” MKV founder Maria Vafiadis told CLAD.

“Every material used on and in the building renovation had to be submitted for Listed Building Consent and samples provided for approval, requiring a close relationship with the architectural team.”

The designers drew on the hotel's Art Deco heritage with the interiors, completely stripping back the guest rooms and adding contemporary features in keeping with the building's history. The schemes are discreetly glamorous with Art Deco touches, including polished silver finishes on furniture, bevelled mirror panels above the full length of the bedhead and ‘Deco inspired wall lights. Guestroom bathrooms are finished in classic black and white tiling, and fittings also subtly refer to the building’s provenance.

Central to the design in the ground floor areas was a revamp of the hotel’s historic Palm Court – from which the other public spaces gravitate – using a combination of original and new design features, including a vaulted ceiling with original stained glass panels and mouldings, new lighting, Japonaiserie-style wallcovering and a polished herringbone travertine floor.

“The Palm Court is the area that most clearly expresses the hotel’s Art Deco glamour and best represents the next chapter in its history,” said Vafiadis. “It’s the jewel that sits at the heart of the revitalised ground floor public areas, with the new bar, restaurant and executive lounge areas all spanning off it.”

MKV have also recently completed a major refurbishment of the Hotel Royal Savoy, Lausanne in Switzerland and two new hotels in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Maria Vafiadis is one of the designers profiled in the new issue of CLADmag, which also features interviews with Patrik Schumacher, Kengo Kuma and Ma Yansong. It can be downloaded or read as on digital turning pages.

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