Overlooking Hyde Park on the 11th floor of the new Almacantar The Bryanston building sits a show apartment that’s redefining luxury. Curated by British interior-design royalty David Collins Studio and Nick Vinson of Vinson & Co, the space pairs reworked pieces from the former’s extensive archive with works by a wealth of UK-based makers inspired by its enviable location.
‘To me, it was very important to give this apartment a sense of place and to bring the park inside,’ says Vinson, who commissioned a showstopping installation by artist Lucy Smith to stretch the length of the entrance and hallway. It features flora and fauna cast in jesmonite in a colour taken from Wedgwood’s 18th century Jasperware.
A three-dimensional representation of Hyde Park at its British summertime best, the work depicts a field of irises, including wildlife such as squirrels, butterflies, birds and even a sprightly hare (visitors should keep their eyes peeled for when it pops up).
This is a full sensory experience of an apartment too, with local brand Perfumer H having created bespoke fragrances for the property – including an ivy scent to accompany Smith’s hallway design.
There’s also bespoke pieces from other nearby establishments – Connolly provided a ‘Bentley Green’ leather for the furniture by Simon Hasan that graces the apartment’s atmospheric study, and Mount Street Printers created stationery customised by Betty Soldi.
Plus, in a true nod to the historic green space that dominates this apartment’s views, Sebastian Cox has created a unique dining table, carved from a London Plane tree felled in the park during a storm and David Collins Studio designed arched mirrors that make reference to John Nash’s Marble Arch.
For fans of David Collins Studio’s iconically British furniture and interiors, this apartment also functions as an exhibition of its greatest hits. Classic designs – think the white cotton bouclé sofa, a new edition of the one that Princess Diana posed on for her 1997 Vanity Fair cover, shot by Mario Testino – can be spotted at every turn, many of them reimagined in exciting new fabrics and finishes.
‘The Studio was asked to celebrate a selection of its famous designs,’ explains Iain Watson, CEO and founder at David Collins Studio. ‘We layered this vision with commissioned British talent to make special pieces for the apartment, ultimately reflecting the best of today’s artisans and makers. The Studio’s approach to sourcing and detailing delivers pieces with a provenance.’
Indeed, provenance is at the very heart of this apartment. From the artists and designers creating bespoke pieces, to the curatorial eye of Vinson & Co and the unparalleled skill of David Collins Studio, everyone involved in this project has been pulling towards the realisation of a shared vision: a new type of luxury apartment, one that feels intrinsically linked to its location. There are no cliched nods to Britishness here. davidcollins.studio; thebryanston.co.uk
