Design studio the Gallery has transformed the Royal Suite at the InterContinental London Park Lane to have a timeless and elegant style inspired by Queen Elizabeth II. Given the suite’s debut in 2012, Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee year, the designers were captivated by the location’s noble pedigree. For the first decade of her childhood, The Queen lived in a building once located on this site, after which the Royal Family moved to Buckingham Palace when her father King George VI succeeded to the throne. The Gallery has created a suite modelled in part after Her Majesty’s acclaimed fashion sense – as seen especially in Cecil Beaton’s photographs of her as a young woman. The new design also honours The Queen as both a tender family person and an archetypical figurehead respected around the world. Her ability to balance compassion with strength and power has been expressed in the décor through the juxtaposition of opposites: the soft with the hard; the flowing with the structured; and the feminine with the masculine. In the living room, for example, silk-effect wallcovering is bordered by round brass nailheads, and a chandelier in a sinuous floral shape is formed from rigid glass rods.
VIPs from around the globe will be residing in the 135 sqm Royal Suite and The Gallery’s intention has been to create a temporary home which will be comfortable for them all. So while the designer’s inspiration has been specific, the suite’s references to royalty are subtle and are woven into a classic design that encapsulate the styles of the decades from The Queen’s birth in 1926 to the present moment.
The result blends Art Deco touches with a contemporary interpretation of the opulent finishes found in royal palaces. Reflective surfaces creatively woven into the interiors increase its sense of spaciousness and luminosity. In the living room, antiqued mirrors border the coved ceiling to create an illusion of height, the coffee and side tables have glazed finishes, and a tufted leather bench is supported by a mirrored base.
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