Steeped in history, No 1 Palace Street – The St. Regis Residences – was once home to one of London’s first five-star establishments, the Palace Hotel. Constructed in 1860 as an overspill for guests of Buckingham Palace, this iconic destination was popular with Queen Victoria’s distinguished guests. Visiting dukes, duchesses and foreign dignitaries would often stay here following a visit to Buckingham Palace, just across the road.
Today, The St. Regis Residences is where world-class facilities and impeccable service perfectly blend in a unique 300,000 sq ft island site, which features exceptional views towards the Buckingham Palace.
It is an extraordinary historic revival, unique in London for its seamless integration of five architectural styles – Italian Renaissance, Beaux-Arts, French Renaissance, Queen Anne, and 21st-century Contemporary. Each perfectly appointed luxury apartment is intelligently designed and infused with both style and functionality for modern living. Behind the five distinct façades, 72 generously proportioned private residences are equipped with state-of-the-art luxuries and carefully considered design elements.
The Residences’ apartments cater to guests’ personal passions and unique expertise, enriching their stays through exceptional offerings. These exclusive facilities have been designed to preserve guests’ most precious resource – time. Every element of this unique establishment ensures guests can save time or luxuriate in it. From the secluded courtyard garden to a suite of private leisure facilities, the in-house amenities have been designed to create a perfectly appointed sanctuary where guests can unwind and indulge, in both privacy and style.
With views of Buckingham Palace and its private gardens, No. 1 Palace Street, the St. Regis Residences is one of London’s most prestigious addresses and highly anticipated residential developments.
Built in 1860, the building once housed the Palace Hotel and was known for hosting dukes, duchesses and foreign dignitaries visiting from afar. The residence, which was once inspired by Italian Renaissance villas, fuses five unique architectural styles including Italian Renaissance, Beaux-Arts, French Renaissance, Queen Anne and 21st-century contemporary. It underwent a meticulous and sensitive restoration by developer Northacre and architectural firm Squire & Partners. The final product is a building that houses 72 apartments ranging from one bedroom to five bedrooms.
Of these unique homes, the House of Walpole is a one-of-a-kind residence that was a collaboration between Northacre, the development company of No. 1 Palace Street, and Walpole. Walpole is a non-profit organization that promotes and protects British luxury brands. There are more than 250 Walpole members, which includes brands from various sectors like retail, food and drink, fashion, beauty, hospitality, culture and media, among others. For this one-off residence, Walpole member and beloved British interior design firm Oliver Burns brought in several Walpole members to contribute to this singular home.
Being sold fully furnished, the 4,027-square-foot duplex apartment has three bedrooms and is listed for $31.74 million (or £26.45 million). The apartment was curated by Sharon Lillywhite, founding partner at Oliver Burns, and the House of Walpole acts as a love letter to the Palace. The quintessentially British apartment features a ‘majestic modern’ aesthetic with a color scheme inspired by the Buckingham Palace gardens, which are on view from the balustraded balconies.
Earlier this month we gave you a tour of the House of Walpole residence, a collaboration between Walpole, the non-for-profit membership organisation championing British luxury craftsmanship, and Northacre with a mission to bring together the best British brands within one ultra-luxurious space.
In this post we explore the story of the 3m tall bespoke master bedroom headboard created by Helen Amy Murray, a globally recognised artist and designer. The inspiration for the extraordinary artwork came from the quintessential London Plane tree. The setting of the apartment at No.1 Palace Street offers a unique glimpse of Buckingham Palace Gardens, and the artwork is a tribute to a particular pair of Plane trees named Victoria and Albert, after Queen Victoria and her Prince Consort. They were personally planted by the couple on Horse Chestnut Avenue, within the gardens, in the 1850s.
The hand sculpted textile artwork features the trees statuesque, shading either side of the bed. The leaves create a delicately arched canopy and the branches reach out beyond the walls and ceiling, evoking the monumental proportion of the famous trees.
To create a gracefully organic outline, Helen Amy Murray decided to counter balance the distribution of outer branches and leaves, but with enough space to allow the artwork to breath and not impose on the tranquil setting. Falling leaves conjure the feeling of a breeze passing through the gardens and bringing the outside in.
Helen chose soft faux suede in subtle grey green in combination with embroidered silk crepe satin appliqué as the two main materials. From distance the colours appear the same, but the satin sheen contrasted with the napped suede reflects the light and creates new tones within the artwork.
The marriage of light and shadow is the result of Helen’s exceptional artistry whereby the artwork emerges from the wall in varying degrees of relief, much like the appearance of a bas-relief but in textiles that merge during the meticulous process.
House of Walpole residence came together as a collaboration between Walpole, the non-for-profit membership organisation championing British luxury craftsmanship, and Northacre with a mission to bring together the best British brands within one ultra-luxurious space.
The one-off residence was designed by Walpole’s member – a luxury interior design studio – Oliver Burns. With its rich history, No. 1 Palace Street – The St. Regis Residences – is one the London’s most coveted addresses adjacent to His Majesty’s official London residence, overlooking the Palace and its private gardens.
And it is indeed the gardens that play a central part of the design concept entitled “A Celebration of the Palace Gardens”. While walking through the 4,000 sq ft duplex 3 – bedroom House of Walpole apartment, references of the garden are introduced through even the smallest detail. From the four bespoke scents that represent each season created by Rachel Vosper, the bespoke Menagerie wallpaper by Cole & Son, to the carefully curated artworks by Maddox Gallery and the stunning cultural lighting installation by Nulty Bespoke, the space is bursting with colours brought in through the seasonal stories of the Palace Gardens.
The House of Walpole is a collaboration between Walpole (the UK industry body for British Luxury) Northacre realised by Sharon Lilywhite founder of Oliver Burns. Inspired by the views over Buckingham Palace Gardens, Sharon’s design is titled, “A love letter to the Palace” is a celebration of British Luxury and Design. Working with Walpole members Sharon has created a truly magnificent one off very British apartment.
The three bedroom, 4,027 sqft duplex apartment with views of Buckingham Palace Gardens launches on the market this week, with prices from £4,45m – £36m. The apartment has been designed for Northacre by Walpole member Sharon Lilywhite of Oliver Burns.
Sharon Lillywhite, Founder, Oliver Burns: Our concept for House of Walpole seeks to celebrate the enduring love affair between the very best of British luxury and the English garden. Steeped in history and intrigue, the palace gardens provide the most unique backdrop for House of Walpole and have long been a focus for national and royal celebrations. Our design vision is to re-tell the stories from this treasured sanctuary in a modern way, a love letter to the garden’s enduring beauty, transformation and resilience.
We speak to Amy Wardell, Head of Brand at Northacre, about what’s driving the high-end real estate boom in London, the importance of British craftsmanship to their clientele, and why the super-prime property developer wanted to collaborate with Walpole to create the House of Walpole.
What initially attracted Northacre to No.1 Palace Street, in which the House of Walpole apartment is located?
No. 1 Palace Street, The St. Regis Residences is not only unique due to its location opposite Buckingham Palace, but also because it spans five different architectural styles across an island site. The development is steeped in history and started life as The Palace Hotel. Northacre is synonymous with design and the very best architecture. We have a rich history of developing some of London’s most historical residences, which sit behind retained facades. The challenge and opportunity that the site represented was perfect for us.
Why did you want to collaborate on this project with Walpole? What is the attraction of British craftsmanship to the apartment’s potential buyers?
The restoration of this building has included craftmanship from start to finish. There are many historical and listed features within the building that have been lovingly restored including the fireplaces, cornicing and one of the main staircases. With each architectural style the building tells a wonderful story of British craftmanship. We have been Walpole members for six years and this project has been in conversation for at least four years – two of those have been design and planning it! Given the site’s heritage and situation opposite Buckingham Palace we really wanted to celebrate the best of British, and who better to collaborate with than the industry body for British luxury?
The Buckingham Palace-Adjacent Development Has Partnered With The British Brand Collective In ‘A Love Letter To The Palace Gardens’
I visited No. 1 Palace Street, Victoria’s latest luxury property development, on one of the first properly cold days of December. The Clermont is decked out with wreaths and baubles and fairy lights wink in the shopfronts of Buckingham Palace Road.
It’s here, bang opposite the Queen’s Gallery, that residents of No. 1 Palace Street will call home. The collection of buildings was once a hotel (plus civil service offices) of the sort that Victoria used to be known for; the development, therefore, will integrate five different architectural styles (Italian Renaissance, Beaux-Arts, French Renaissance, Queen Anne, and contemporary). The 72 residences housed here will be served by hotel group St. Regis, adding them to the roster of branded residences piling up in London.
I’m here to visit the development’s flagship apartment: House of Walpole. It is so-called thanks to developer Northacre Properties’ collaboration with Walpole, the luxury sector advocacy body, which counts 250+ British brands among its membership. The entire apartment has been kitted out with Walpole names, with each piece made bespoke, all pulled together by member Oliver Burns.
Northacre, Walpole and Oliver Burns have assembled a choice selection of top British luxury brands at a new show apartment opposite Buckingham Palace.
Some of Britain’s top luxury brands have teamed up to create a show-stopping show apartment at Northacre’s Regis-branded No.1 Palace Street development, next-door to Buckingham Palace.
“House of Walpole showcases contemporary British luxury on a scale rarely seen,” says Helen Brocklebank, Chief Executive of industry body Walpole, which orchestrated the project.
Oliver Burns founder Sharon Lillywhite led the design, assembling Walpole-member brands into “a love letter to the Palace”, referencing the 4,027 sq ft duplex apartment’s Royal views.
Lilywhite has channelled a “Majestic Modern” theme, with a natural colour palette allowing architecture to shine and statement furnishings and installations to pop.
Apartments at No.1 Palace Street are on sale now, with prices from £4.45mn to £36mn.
Amy Wardell, Head of Brand, Northacre Properties: “The history and architecture of No 1 Palace Street, The St. Regis Residences contribute to the luxurious sense of place with many of the historical and listed features, such as the fireplaces and original cornicing, having been lovingly restored.
“The striking 3.6 metre floor-to-ceiling heights result in an elegant entertainment space with the vista of Buckingham Palace gardens as a dramatic backdrop. Luxury architectural interior design studio, Oliver Burns, has paid homage to the striking architectural features throughout whilst masterfully bringing the outside in through the story of the Palace Gardens to create a unique turnkey home. It has been wonderful to see each piece of the design come to life and witness the incredible dexterity and talent of so many skilful British makers.”
This stunningly appointed space is inspired by the Buckingham Palace gardens opposite.
No 1 Palace Street, completed in 1860, takes its cues from the villas of Renaissance Italy. However, the one-off residence and event space just revealed within – conceived by luxury industry body Walpole and created by London-based interior design studio Oliver Burns – could not be more quintessentially British.
The 4,000 sq ft, three-bedroom space – which once made up a small part of one of Britain’s first ever five-star establishments, The Palace Hotel – has been inspired by the Buckingham Palace gardens from which it is situated an (injudicious) stone’s throw away. As you enter, your eyes are drawn upwards, instantly, by a light installation suspended at various lengths from the ceiling: a twinkling cascade constellation bouncing off dragonflies, butterflies and Mulberry leaves by London lighting specialists Nulty Bespoke.
The gardens’ lake, meanwhile, provided the cues for a console table of hand poured resin, pigments and liquid metal, a mirror placed above enhancing its semblance to swirling water. Both were designed by the aforementioned Oliver Burns and created by Wilshire-based Anka Bespoke.
How to make a splash with a Show Apartment? SPHERE’s Lisa Barnard has a preview tour of the beautifully curated House of Walpole at 1 Palace Street, the prime residential apartment development by Northacre. Worried about the neighbours? It’s Buckingham Palace.
Designing a Show Apartment for a prime residential development is fraught with decision and angst. Developers can go vanilla, bland and offer a blank canvas onto which the prospective owners can project their personal style and taste, or they might go full-on design and demonstrate the consummate style which might inspire the would-be owner. A half-way house is, in our view, not satisfactory – a Show Apartment that has been hastily conceived with a broad-brush design super-imposed, regardless of architecture, might even put a buyer off. The House of Walpole at No. I Palace Street, the new St Regis Residences, across the road from Buckingham Palace, takes the concept of the Show Apartment to a new stratosphere.
Two years in the planning and making, it is a curated one-off apartment which has been designed, decorated and furnished from top to bottom by Walpole member brands. It has been a collaboration between Walpole, property developer Northacre, and interior design studio Oliver Burns (Walpole member), with the lofty ambition to demonstrate what British luxury, interior design and craftsmanship can achieve hand-in-hand and through brand collaboration.