HOTELS & COMMERCIAL
Princess Eugenie Suite, Claridge’s
london
Louis XV- and Louis XVI-style furniture, as well as Victorian-inspired features, characterise the opulent Empress Eugenie Suite at Claridge’s.
Created by hotel group Maybourne’s in-house design team, it pays homage to Empress Eugenie of France, a close friend of Queen Victoria.
Ben Whistler’s work for the suite includes a carved headboard, antique brass side tables, a fringed slipper chair and a macassar ebony console.
The furniture may be traditional, but it is also fit for modern hospitality: a stone-topped console conceals a fridge, while a gilded, leather-topped desk has integrated sockets.
THE CRAFT: HAND-CARVING & GILDING
Made in Portugal by skilled craftspeople, these headboards were hand carved and gilded. Our client sent us images for inspiration, but in the end it was up to the carvers to devise the suitably ornate design: a sample section including the finial was made up and signed off before the entire headboard was made.
After the carving, the headboard was gilded using gold leaf, brushed on and then polished off to create a smooth, even gold surface – the more intricate the design, the more skill is needed to gild the wood.
