A Design Pilgrimage To The Oliver Messel Suite At The Dorchester
After almost two years of being confined to our own four walls at Howark HQ we were ready for a new design adventure - So we set off to visit the Dorchester in London. While it might not seem like an obvious choice for a design pilgrimage, the hotel houses a truly remarkable set of rooms that were to exceed all our expectations – The Oliver Messel Suite.
Come with us on an adventure to visit some of the most beautiful, imaginative and glorious rooms in London.
We were greeted in the Lobby by Chris Astbury, the Director of Marketing for the Dorchester Collection who was to be our guide and was a wonderfully knowledgeable and entertaining host! It’s worth noting that the Lobby itself is quite astounding, a vision in soft coral and layered with sumptuous fabrics, thick carpets and flowers - it is the epitomy of a glamourous hotel lobby from the last century.
Before we even got into the rooms we were swooning over It the hallway carpets (not a sentence you hear everyday). These epic works of art were designed by Oliver Ford who consulted on the design of the hotel’s communal areas in the Sixties and Seventies. Each floor of the hotel has a different carpet design and colourway which cover approximately 9,000 sq ft on each floor!
At the end of one of these gloriously carpeted corridors we find ourselves at the somewhat unassuming entrance to the Oliver Messel Suite. Situated on the 7th floor, this suite was part of a later addition to the hotel that includes the pavilion on the 8th floor which we will come to later. The Suite of rooms were added in the 50’s and have hosted Royalty, Film Stars and the generally fabulous for over 70 years.
Finally to the main attraction and a little background on Oliver Messel the designer.
Messel had a truly diverse career which spanned theatre, film and costume design as well as commercial and residential interiors and architecture. His roots in the theatre are apparent in his later work through a heightened sense of drama and eye catching visual palette which would become his hallmark.
What a truly magical space! These rooms have left an impression that will last a long time and inspire us to be even more bold and imaginative in our own designs. For those looking to learn more about Oliver Messel and his beautiful work we would recommend the book Oliver Messel by Thomas Messel, which is a comprehensive look at his life and work and a great read too!
