Summer 2019, The Berkeley will reveal a special new addition to the hotel, with the opening of The Berkeley Bar & Terrace. This will be the second bar in the Knightsbridge landmark five star hotel, joining the legendary Blue Bar which opened in 2000. With a rich design story conceived by Irish interior designer Bryan O’Sullivan, The Berkeley Bar will offer a finely curated menu of exemplary and rare wines and dark spirits.
The bar will be intimate and refined with a sense of old world glamour, with its own terrace for alfresco gatherings, and a snug for private parties. The Berkeley Bar & Terrace will be a destination for wine connoisseurs and guests wishing for sophistication and expert, intuitive service. Exquisite wine – spanning a wide range of grape varieties and countries – plus exclusive whisky, cognac, rums and more will make up the menu, from both under the radar producers and big names in the drinks world. A capsule menu of nine classic cocktails – all using elevated spirits – will also be served in the bar.
To mark the opening of the bar, The Berkeley team worked with Scottish Gordon and MacPhail on the creation of a rare whisky from 1972, the year the hotel opened. There will be only two bottles of this unique spirit made. Food will be served to compliment the drinks offering and elegant surroundings – hero small plates include a trio of tacos filled smoked short rib, lobster or crispy cauliflower and Gressingham duck bolognaise croquettes. The bar will also be home to an edit of fine cigars. Every element of the space has been designed by Irish designer Bryan O’Sullivan, who has recently been named one of House & Garden’s Top 100 interior designers.
Key features include a half-moon marble bar, a central fireplace and even a hideaway snug. Repeat brutalist inspired arch forms that run through the space reference the new home of the Grenadiers, an infantry regiment of the British Army whose stables were originally located on the grounds where the hotel lies. The central material in the design story is an exquisite walnut wood. Taken from a 300-year-old tree felled from the Fulbeck Estate, Lincolnshire in the great storm of 2007, the grain is extraordinarily complex and beautiful.
The delicate finish of the timber brings out the depth and intricacy of the figuring, the panels of which are used throughout the bar to cocoon the whole space, whilst a colour palette of soft corals, creams and pinks offset its richness. The story of the tree and the Fulbeck Estate has been developed and drawn by Bryan O’Sullivan Studio, and has been romantically depicted by the most expert craftsman in a plasterwork frieze which runs above the wood panels – another example of the artisanal touches in this space.
The snug has been designed for more secluded occasions, set away from the main bar and seating up to nine guests. With its own sound system and call-for-service button, the snug will provide visitors with the feeling of their own intimate space. It also features a spectacular mural, painted by New York-based artist TM Davy. Davy was inspired by original snug spaces in public houses, usually reserved for women and their secret discussions, when men and women did not mix socially. The mural depicts gazing female faces with mysterious and knowing expressions, all connected with rhythmic lines to portray the connection and trusted relationships between them.
The bar will open out onto an intimate terrace of only four tables, overlooking the neighbouring St Paul’s Church. Bryan O’Sullivan said “I am honoured to have been asked to create this very special space for The Berkeley, famous for its iconic bars. The rich history of the building provided a spring board of inspiration for what we hope is a timeless yet contemporary new edition to this London landmark. “We are delighted to introduce The Berkeley Bar to our guests and, of course, our local community,” says Knut Wlyde, General Manager of The Berkeley. “The hotel continues to contribute to the vibrant London bar scene with this opening which will complement our much-loved Blue Bar, and add something extra special to the hotel.”
