CHESS CLUB, Mayfair

The creation of a brand new Mayfair members’ club - inspired by the surreal game play of Duane Michals and Man Ray - was always going to be demanding. Phase one of the project: to open up and re-imagine three floors of a six-storey townhouse unoccupied for last ten years. Handled from start to finish by our in-house architects, the six-month construction process began with planning and building control. We designed and built the ground floor restaurant, the first floor bar and the lower ground cloakrooms and installed new industrial kitchens.

In the public spaces, colours and compositions were influenced by the masterful combination of organic and geometric shape found in antique Japanese prints. Our inspirations were wide-scattered - from Carlo Mollino’s butterflies to Renzo Mongiardino’s faux marquetry; from the artwork of Charles Baskerville through Jean Royère’s metalwork and David Hicks’ pop colours to Yves St Laurent’s personal furnishings.