SimplyAbuDhabi XXXIX

T he quintessentially British hotel, The Dorchester, is situated at the heart of London’s elegant Mayfair area on leafy Park Lane with expansive views of the world- famous Hyde Park. It’s a luxury hotel with a revered history and inimitable sense of style, all in the heart of the great vibrant capital city. Authentic Art Deco Glamour Within months of its opening in 1931, The Dorchester’s sumptuous décor and unrivalled standards of personal service established its reputation as one of the world’s great hotels. Over the decades, The Dorchester has employed the cream of interior designers to update rooms and design additions. The Dorchester’s first consultant designer was Oliver Ford, who handled decoration of the Queen Mother’s residences at the Royal Lodge, Windsor, and Clarence House in St. James. Ford introduced handmade carpets on each floor in different floral patterns and let his taste for the rococo run riot when redecorating the Orchid Room, transforming the room with a blue-and-white Wedgwood colour scheme, fanciful plasterwork, a six-foot chandelier, and cabinets for china. Ford painted The Gold Room with a mural of trailing leaves and flowers which was painstakingly restored by Gauguin’s great-granddaughter, Mette, in 1989-1990. Oliver Messel, legendary stage designer, produced some of The Dorchester’s most astonishing rooms, including the Oliver Messel Suite, with doors painted with sprays of flowers and furnishings and fittings decorated with acorns and oak leaves. Messel also took on additional design projects within the hotel such as The Penthouse Suite which is based on his stage set for the ballet Sleeping Beauty, and The Pavilion, which was inspired by Mozart, with scenes from The Magic Flute. Simply Abu Dhabi | 225