Mayfair’s New Hotel The Twenty Two is a Lesson in Maximalism

By Charlotte Rickards

2 years ago

Think Bonaparte, bevelled mirrors, and the colour blue


18th Century gilded France meets polychromatic maximalism at Mayfair’s slickest new hotel, The Twenty Two 

 Mayfair’s The Twenty Two Hotel is a Lesson in Maximalism

How Chintz Got Cool Again

Hotel Twenty Two's new restaurant with yellow seating and blue walls, designed by Natalie Miyar

Image courtesy of The Twenty Two

It’s official: kitschy kaleidoscopic interiors is the new ‘it’ way to furnish luxury interiors. And Mayfair’s newest hotel meets members’ club, The Twenty Two, that opened this May, is a lesson on how it’s done to perfection.

A string of new hotels opening up in the nearby stomping grounds of Chelsea and South Kensington, such as Beaverbrook Town House (designed by Nicola Harding) and The Other House (its library is curated by Pandora Sykes), have taken a similar cue with their interior design.

 

a grand mirror, yellow velvet seating, and blue wallpapers feature in Twenty Two's new restaurant in Mayfair, London

Blue was chosen the colour to bring out the historic panelling of the Grade II listed former private home. Image courtesy of The Twenty Two

It seems what’s all de riguer nowadays is piping, pattern and fringes, with some nod to a grand historical past. And it works. The interiors trend is the ultimate Instagrammable fodder for the young, hip, creative set these hotels are looking to bring in.

Blue is king at The Twenty Two. And this is no less obvious in the restaurant, where the colour was chosen as a way to bring out the architecture and 19th Century panelling. You’ll also see when you enter bespoke chandeliers in cadets of handblown blue glass adorning the ceilings.

Blue walls and blue seating feature in the new members club in Mayfair, Twenty Two

‘Blue is king at The Twenty Two’. Image courtesy The Twenty Two

The brains behind the design is architect and designer Natalia Miyar. It’s her first foray into designing hotels (she’s previously mainly worked with private clients), which also goes some way to show the growing value placed on perfecting the space in the hospitality industry.

Entrance hallway of Twenty Two Hotel in Grosvenor Square with parquet flooring

The entrance hall, with it’s monochromatic cabochon marble, is a reference to Joséphine Bonaparte’s home, Châteaux de Malmaison. Image courtesy of The Twenty Two

The Twenty Two, the hotel itself, is a Grade II listed former family home in Mayfair’s Grosvenor Square. The space spans 42,500 sq ft, comprising of 31 decadent bedrooms, suites and even its own muse house, plus a restaurant (that’s open to the public), and a members’ club.

Natalia’s specific inspiration for the interiors came from the French elegance of Châteaux de Malmaison, home of Joséphine Bonaparte (that’s the Bonaparte Empress, with Napoleon Bonaparte). You’ll see some unsubtle nods to the muse in question in the entrance hall’s dramatically monochromatic cabochon marble, as well as the highly saturated dopamine brushed walls within the bedrooms, and restaurant of the hotel.

A maximalist Bedroom with patterned pink wallpaper and matching double chairs in the new hotel in Mayfair, Twenty Two

Image courtesy of The Twenty Two

Lots of rich velvets, piping, fringe, vintage crystal chandeliers, and bevelled mirrors’ is how Natalia Miyar sums up objects of inspiration, which you’ll see peppered throughout the interior design.

a red bed and blue walls in the new hotel in Mayfair, Twenty Two, designed by Natalia Miyar

The Double Black Framed Windows are a direct Reference to Napoleon’s private home. Image courtesy of The Twenty Two

One of the two elegant ‘Deluxe Rooms’ takes the Napoleonic aesthetic to the nth degree. Taking the Bonaparte’s private room in Châteaux de Malmaison as a direct reference, expect to see the double black framed windows swathed in fabric by French textile houses Pierre Frey and Turrnel & Gigon.

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