1508 London Emerges Into The New Reality

1508 London, the international design studio, is emerging from lockdown confident that it can prosper in the post-Covid world. Stuart Horwood, partner, says, ’We’ve invested a significant sum of money in the business’s IT and infrastructure in recent months responding vigorously to the challenges posed by the pandemic to ensure that we came through it fighting fit, building a stronger, more resilient business based on new-found, flexible working practices.’

We are delighted to announce that 1508 London has been shortlisted for interior design of the year at the Dezeen Awards 2020. Our stellar reputation is founded on our collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach offering clients a world-class integrated service. ‘We are thrilled to be working on several resort hotels where wellbeing and a connection to nature are at the heart of our design aesthetic, playing into the hands of the world right now,’ says partner Hamish Brown.

The refurbishment of The Carlton Tower Jumeirah in Knightsbridge is fast approaching completion, and we are proud to have been instrumental in transforming every aspect of the hotel including the rooms, restaurants, health club and spa to create what is destined to become a modern classic. ‘With Jumeirah’s roster including Burj Al Arab, a global icon of luxury, we’ve distilled the same sense of grandeur into a timeless, beautiful design within a quintessentially London setting to create a beacon of sophistication,’ says Design Director Ailsa Connery. The successful resolution of this huge project is testament to the strength and creative energy of our collaborative ethos coupled with the vision of Jumeirah for this renowned location.

At the end of 2020, No. 1, Grosvenor Square, now completely rebuilt and magnificently redesigned, will be launched. Its developer, Lodha Group, has described it as ‘the world’s most exclusive address’. The building, which housed the first US Embassy in London, is a byword for elegance and style in one of London’s grandest squares, a slice of history sumptuously regilded for the 21st Century. Following a successful marketing suite, we are currently furnishing the building which will accommodate forty-four luxury apartments and facilities of matchless convenience protected by ambassadorial standards of surveillance and security.

The first families are now moving in to Chelsea Barracks, one of London’s most eagerly-awaited developments on what is the most expensive piece of land in British history. At 1508 London we are extremely proud to have been involved in all the first four phases. The star attraction will undoubtedly be the classic townhouses which are taller, wider and deeper than virtually anything else available locally. Combined with the penthouses and other elements in traditional and modern idioms, the development amounts to nothing less than the creation from scratch of an entire neighbourhood.

At the other end of the development process, planning permission has been granted for the £40 million redevelopment of 82 Mount Street. The Mayfair scheme by developer REDD incorporates infection-controlling mechanisms such as button-free lifts for life in the post-Covid 19 era, exemplifying our attention to detail and ever-evolving design ethic.

At the same time, 1508 London is delighted to have brought several private-client developments to market. These are the projects on which the studio was founded; lessons absorbed here about how the world’s elite live their lives filter up the creative ladder to influence the designs for private members’ clubs, multi-unit developments, and world-class hotels. Noteworthy among these is a six-storey family house in Holland Park’s Ilchester Place – the most expensive street in Britain in 2019 for the second successive year – which we transformed into a £35 million home.

Looking further into the future, 1508 London is proud to have designed the interiors of the former War Office building (The OWO) in Whitehall by The Hinduja Group. The Edwardian neo-Classical building is deeply rooted in Britain’s past, tracing its origins back to the days of Henry VIII, allowing clients to acquire a part of the nation’s history recast in the most sophisticated modern idiom as eighty-eight Raffles Residences. Its reincarnation as Raffles Hotel will also give the public access to this historic building for the very first time. To stimulate buyers’ emotional engagement with the project, we have created a sales gallery in which buyers learn about the OWO’s visceral, historical appeal in the most immersive way.

Internationally, 1508 London is now established in the Middle East where its studio in Dubai’s Design District is growing fast. ‘Since we opened our first international office in Dubai eighteen months ago, we have now secured over 1.5m ft2. of projects including our first Rosewood hotel in Doha as Qatar prepares for the first World Cup to be held in the Arabian world,’ says Middle East Director Joe Chamberlin.

As the world emerges into the new reality 1508 London, with an enviable portfolio of projects in hand, is well positioned to prosper in late 2020, 2021 and beyond. The incomparable talents of our multi-cultural team will ensure that the studio continues to deliver extraordinary, unique results at the very highest level for our elite clients.