Giogali in a customised version illuminates the heart of the lobby of the historic Hotel Café Royal, which reopened in 2012 after a conservative renovation by architect David Chipperfield.

Piccadilly – London
Year: 2012
Architect: David Chipperfield Architects – Donald Insall Associates

Hotel Café Royal is a five-star hotel at 68 Regent Street, London.
Before its conversion, it was known as a renowned restaurant and meeting place.

In 1865, the building was bought by Daniel Nicholas Thévenon, a well-known French wine merchant of the time. He was forced to flee France due to bankruptcy. In 1863 he arrived in Britain with his wife, Célestine, and only five pounds in cash. He changed his name to Daniel Nicols and started managing the Café Royal. In a short time he managed to turn this place into the largest wine cellar in the world at that time.

By 1890, Café Royal had undoubtedly become the place to see and be seen.
Many patrons have brought prestige to this venue such as: Oscar Wilde, Aleister Crowley, Virginia Woolf, D. H. Lawrence, Winston Churchill, Noël Coward, Brigitte Bardot, Max Beerbohm, George Bernard Shaw, Jacob Epstein, Mick Jagger, Elizabeth Taylor, Muhammad Ali and Diana, Princess of Wales.
The café was the scene of episodes that marked English history such as the meeting on 24 March 1895 when Frank Harris advised Oscar Wilde to drop his criminal libel charge against the Marquis of Queensberry, who was acquitted while Wilde was subsequently tried, convicted and imprisoned.
In 1972 the property changed hands and was bought by David Locke.

Prominent personalities have chosen this location to host important events such as Kanye West who played here in 2014 when he DJ’d a private party with Frank Ocean. And a private after-party at the British Fashion Awards, hosted by Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell with internationally renowned guests such as Harry Styles, Cara Delevingne and Rihanna.

In December 2008, Café Royal closed for four years while undergoing a lengthy conservative renovation.

In 2012, David Chipperfield Architect transformed the historic Café Royal in the centre of cosmopolitan London, between Mayfair and Soho, into a luxury hotel.
The project by the Lissoni Casal Ribeiro studio, assisted by David Lopez Quincoces, Stefano Castellie and Pino Caliandro, is part of this reconversion by rethinking all the common areas: lobby, concierge, two restaurants and a sushi bar, all dictated by the delicate balance between the memory of the historical heritage and contemporary design.
While keeping the historical structure dating back to 1865 intact, the contemporary intervention dialogues delicately with the past and the shape of the space is modulated to suit the new functions.

The lobby becomes a spacious place by exploiting the double height of the structure, from the ceiling a precious pure crystal chandelier, a custom-made example from Vistosi’s Giogali collection.
Giogali is a flexible collection because the single element of the modular hook lends itself more than any other collection to the creation of ever-changing configurations. An iconic weave where pure craftsmanship reigns supreme.
The installation descends imposingly onto the polished brass table, which instead rises from the floor. Polished brass also defines the two large parallelepipeds that form the reception counters, creating a material link with pre-existing decorative elements such as the column capitals. Behind the reception, backlit canned glass further enhances the ambience. Also for the reception of guests, on either side of the reception are the two lounge areas characterised by dark, warm tones and, in the adjacent room, the concierge with a more intimate feel, with comfortable furniture and a library.

Gallery

Typology

Typologies

Suspension

Ceiling

Wall

Floor

Designer

Angelo Mangiarotti

Video

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