It is no coincidence that we are specified for some of the worlds most stunning projects and the refurbishment of The Old War Offices in London (UK) into a luxury hotel and private residences is one of our latest. The Old war office building is Grade II listed and owned by the Hinduja Group. The past five years of development have marked a turning point for the building after it was closed to the public for over a century. The Hinduja group alongside Raffles have begun the painstaking transformation of turning the Old War Offices into 85 luxury homes and a state of the art hotel with 125-rooms and suites. Guests of Raffles premier hotel will be captivated by 9 restaurants and bars, a swimming pool, spa and enclosed garden. The OWO is destined to become one of London’s most exclusive locations. The completion and opening is expected to be late 2022.

The Hinduja group acquired the building in 2014 and has worked with a team of experts to ensure the project is completed to the highest quality and in respect to the buildings historical features. Consultants and partners in the project include Historic England, Museum of London Archaeology & EPR Architects (behind the redevelopments at The Ned and the Rosewood). Interior design for the project is being split between two specialist studios; 1508 London will oversea the design of the residential interiors whilst New-York based designer Thierry Despont will design the hotels interior.

The residential interior design by 1508 London will feature striking bespoke kitchens by Smallbone – Luxury kitchen manufacturers with a strong British heritage based in Wiltshire. The companies beginnings where in hand crafted and painted kitchen cabinetry over 40 years ago, now combining traditional joinery hand in hand with state-of-the-art machinery. The designs will also feature Siminetti’s luxury mother of pearl mosaics, high ceilings with large windows, Brass ironmongery and historically sensitive modern touches.

The hotel is sure to impressive with Despont at the helm of the interior design. His prior work includes the Ritz in Paris and Maison Cartier. An elegant balance of historical features and contemporary familiarity with create a destination hotel sure to impress. For the most discerning of visitors, Churchill’s old room featuring oak panelling from floor-to-ceiling, will be available for private dinners to book, an experience which would be hard to compare.

Above: Concept images of The OWO Residences by Grain on behalf of the Hinduja Group and Raffles.

The Old War Offices were originally designed by William Young, and building works completed in 1906. The development dubbed “The OWO Residences by Raffles” will be set within a site of British historical significance, the building was built on the original site of the Palace of Whitehall – Home to Henry VIII and other monarchs. Alongside being known as Winston Churchills main base of operations during WWII, the site was also John Profumo’s base when he was Secretary of State, Ian Fleming’s inspiration for the James Bond series during his British Naval Intelligence Service and has featured in multiple James Bond movies. Alongside superspy films the building was also used in Netflix’s The crown which follows Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and the events which shaped the 20th century. With history this rich its make one wonder, If the walls could speak, what fascinating stories they would tell!

Siminetti’s involvement in the project is in supporting Cheshire Wellness UK with our specified natural freshwater Mother of Pearl mosaic tiles within the wellness areas. Our mosaic tiles are ideally suited to such areas. Mother of pearl is naturally safe in wet environments. However, for extra piece of mind all of Siminetti’s mosaic tiles are expertly smoothed by our trained artisans and resin sealed to remove any porosity, prevent surface damage & blemishes, and increase its strength. The natural tie back to nature and the ocean provides a relaxing, holistic space to unwind – whilst doing good for the environment by not using damaging man made materials.