The Twenty Two is interior designer Natalia Miyar’s first hotel project. It is a lesson in opulent maximalism
For her first hotel project architect and designer Natalia Miyar has brought new life to this five storey Grade II listed former family home in Grosvenor Square.
The Twenty Two covers 42,500 sq ft with 31 lavish bedrooms and suites, including a mews house, in addition to a neighbourhood restaurant and private members club.
The bedrooms are a modern interpretation of 18th Century Parisienne style featuring richly saturated colour themes and bespoke wallpaper from Iksell, plus sumptuous fabrics from Turnell & Gigon, Designers Guild and Pierre Frey with passementerie from Samuel & Sons
What was your starting point for the interior? For The Twenty Two my starting point was very much my client Navid Mirtorabi. I have worked with him for a long time and from the outset he had a very clear vision for the project. My brief was entirely about being able to interpret that vision and create something really special.
I’ve always really loved working with Navid, we were constantly in touch with each other sharing ideas and inspiration. From there I started referencing historical French interiors that resonated with me such as Malmaison, Josephine Bonaparte’s country retreat outside of Paris.
How did you decide on the colour palette? I think part of why Navid enjoyed working with me is that he and I share a love of colour. I’ve always been drawn to bold palettes quite intuitively – it’s never been something I’m afraid of. Playing with colour in a fresh and contemporary way was how I felt I could best take the classic interior of the building and bring it up to date.
What was the biggest challenge in creating The Twenty Two? The challenge when designing spaces on this scale is nearly always timing but we also had the pandemic to contend with which was pretty unprecedented. Hopefully that won’t be something we have to deal with again anytime soon!
Now the project is complete, what is your favourite design feature? Overall I would say I am really happy with how the colour has turned out, in terms of a favourite space it would have to be the restaurant. We went through four or five design iterations of the room and have created something I think is very special – a room that feels decadent and inviting without being overly formal and stiff.
We used three intensities of blue to highlight aspects of the architecture and the 19th century panelling. I love this room and could happily spend all day in it.
