We were invited to the spectacular wellness area at the Old War Office Raffles Hotel in Central London. This beautiful two-floor spa complex presented several design challenges across multiple areas. They wanted us to look at the built-in banquette seating in the reception area, the void space beneath the circular staircase by the swimming pool, and the reception's walk-in planters.
The main challenge was location, being two to three floors below ground level meant absolutely no natural light for real plants to survive. Yet, they desperately wanted to soften these elegant spaces and create that luscious, living feeling that makes a luxury spa truly special. The spa reception featured gorgeous built-in banquette seating with beautiful gapped battened backing, but behind it sat an obvious void that simply looked like empty, wasted space rather than the sophisticated backdrop such seating deserved.
OUR VISION
After discussing the vision, we worked through their requirements, including filling and top dressing to be fire retardant. We were delighted to offer a wonderful range of FR plants that have become increasingly sophisticated and varied over the years. We talked through creating different looks and feels across the various areas, we didn't want everything to be too "matchy-matchy", but rather to feel beautifully complementary throughout the space. For the reception's built-in seating with those wooden slatted battens, we styled a gorgeous selection of tropical palms and broad-leafed trees to sit gracefully behind them. This created a stunning vista of shadows and lush greenery visible from every angle, absolutely beautiful.
SPIRAL STAIRCASE
Underneath the pool area's spiral staircase, we curated an artful collection of planters in varying shapes and styles, filled with luscious tropical plants, towering palms, flowing philodendrons, and striking calatheas. We kept the height manageable so nothing interfered with the stairs, but made them wonderfully wide and full to gently guide guests away from the stair edges without creating any sense of barrier. The result looked both elegant and effortless.
The Entrance
For the lower reception pool entrance, they had a lovely space with gorgeous mosaic tile flooring still bearing the original OWO insignia, featuring two curved built-in beds. Here it was crucial that our planting felt natural and graceful rather than heavy and awkward. We created a wonderful mixture of tall palms and tropical trees with lower-level plantings of soft grasses for elegance and lightness, plus calatheas and other mixed greenery that undulated naturally through the space.
THE RESULTS
The transformation gave the entire wellness area that gorgeous, luscious green feeling as guests walk through on their way to their spa day, exactly the sophisticated atmosphere this remarkable space deserved.
