Looking for the chicest place to stay in London? The members-only Arts Club, which counted Charles Dickens and James Whistler among its patrons when it opened in 1863 — and, latterly, Prince Harry in its nightclub — may well be it. In 2011, the club enlisted the help of Gwyneth Paltrow and the designer David d’Almada for its relaunch. Now it has taken over the three floors above its hub in Dover Street, Mayfair, to create 16 bespoke rooms and suites for members and their guests.
“They were offices before, so we had the freedom to do what we wanted,” says d’Almada. “We had a completely clear site from which we could carve the corridor and room sizes.”
Bar a few exceptions, each room has been furnished with bespoke pieces; there’s even a personalised scent to match each one. “We haven’t gone for the cookie-cutter aesthetic,” says d’Almada, who took inspiration from midcentury designers such as Ico Parisi and Gio Ponti for furniture made in the UK, France and Portugal. “We could have gone to Fired Earth for the balcony tiles, but we wanted each room to be subtle and individual.” That aesthetic runs throughout: in the reconditioned classic phones — “We liked the weight of the receiver” — the specially commissioned silverware from Christofle in Paris, and the table lamps made in Eastbourne.
As you might expect from the name, there’s also art, and plenty of it. “Our curators are Amelie von Wedel and Pernilla Holmes of Wedel Art Advisory,” says the hotel manager, Simone Moretti, “and the collection changes every three months.” Photography by Guy Bourdin, Stefanie Schneider, Sam Taylor-Johnson and Laurie Simmons, among others, also graces the bedroom walls.
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As for service, there’s a discreet second entrance with its own door — number 48 — and a lift for guests; there will also be butlers available 24/7. “We wanted a place where people feel calm and relaxed and enjoy the space,” says d’Almada, “so they can do whatever that want.”
From £600 a night, room only; theartsclub.co.uk