Occupying all six floors of a Listed 19th century Regency warehouse, the Devonshire Club has opened following a £25m renovation of its site, complete with a striking mid-century interior by March & White.
Run by celebrated CEO Brian Clivaz, who will be supported by general manager, Ian Palmer, the Club offers an exclusive haven in one of the city’s most iconic business and leisure destinations.
The overhaul of the 58,000ft2 site has been devised and managed by creative development property consultancy, SUSD, which has designed a comfortable, stylish environment with an innovative take on club hospitality.
The Club’s facilities are extensive, incorporating three bars, a 110-seat brasserie, private dining rooms, 68 bedrooms, a screening room, a private gymnasium, Pilates studio, blow dry and nail bars, four treatment rooms, a summer and winter garden and smoking terrace.
London-based interiors studio, March & White was the perfect candidate to develop the Club’s chic and sophisticated feel with a unique twist.
“We wanted to create a members club for the City that brought a little Mayfair elegance,” explains James White, co founder of March & White.
“This meant a departure from the typical city look – we looked to design an interior which appealed to our muse for the project – an elegant sophisticated character at home in the South of France, the Italian Riviera and, when in the City, the Devonshire Club.”
The Club features a series of spaces, each with their own distinct character, but with patterns and layers that create subtle connections to the next.
“We created a mid-century architectural base, which actually feels slightly mad men,” says James. “Layered with the soft femininity of fashion design, incorporating elegant patterns, texture and colour, every time you visit you will see a detail you didn’t notice before. It’s an interior to be explored.”
Drawing upon its background in the high end residential and super yacht design sectors, the March & White team has collaborated with a number of specialist suppliers and fashion houses to create an interior in which every surface – even the ceilings – has been ‘designed’.
Within the reception, for example, the deep-blue resin panels on the reception desk were created in collaboration with Based Upon – a British supplier of specialist bespoke finishes.
For the reception’s striking bespoke chandelier, March & White worked with Italian Murano glass specialist, Seguso.
In the Cocktail Bar, Hermes’ iconic designs add a glamorous touch, while Nattier provided the bespoke cushions and some of the wallcoverings in the Champagne and Library Bars, as well as the members’ guest rooms.
This commitment to exceptional craftsmanship and authentic materials is at the heart of the interior’s success, but was, naturally, a significant undertaking for the March & White team.
“Achieving this level of bespoke design was a real challenge,” says James. “To treat a members club and hotel like a private residence or yacht brings its own difficulties, but for us it was the only way to approach this special project.
“At March and White no one project is the same and no style takes precedence. We create interiors like individual stories, there’s always something personal. I think at the Devonshire Club ultimately we have created an interior our muse would be happy in.”
