Andre Fu’s Opus Suite at Berkeley Hotel, London

THE Opus Suite at London’s Berkeley Hotel, designed by Hong Kong’s Andre Fu, creates a feeling of luxurious relaxation.

The Opus Suite at London's Berkeley hotel

IN the luxury hotel business, guestrooms are often graded along the lines of standard rooms, junior suites and suites, often with another subcategory thrown in here or there. Of course, every five-star hotel worth its name will have a presidential suite or a royal suite or something similarly grandly named. But then every once in a while comes a hotel that has what can only be described as a super suite. And super is definitely a word that comes to mind when you experience the Berkeley’s newest suite, the Opus Suite.

It was completed last year and sits on the fourth floor of The Berkeley hotel in London’s Knightsbridge, occupying a space that once fitted five hotel rooms and a suite. The two-bedroom suite has 278sq m of pure luxury and 270-degree views over Knightsbridge and Hyde Park. The marble-clad bathrooms are themselves bigger than many London hotel rooms. The custom-designed bath is made from a solid slab of marble that curves up at the end to form a headrest and looks almost as welcoming as the plush bedding.

The suite was designed by the Hong Kong-based architect Andre Fu (see our story on Fu on page 40) who rose to fame as the designer of choice for new luxury hotels after his design for the Upper House in Hong Kong won almost universal praise. Fu and his team designed every single aspect of this suite from the custom furnishings to the bespoke light fittings to the carpets, even down to choosing the books that would grace the — you guessed it — Andre Fu-designed coffee tables.

The Opus Suite is now one of London’s biggest hotel suites and, as you might expect, comes with a price tag to match. For hotel suites of this calibre you won’t find the nightly tariff listed on the hotel’s website, but rates for the Opus suite are said to start at £10,000 (about $18,490) and go up as much as double in peak season. It has been designed with the world’s mega-wealthy in mind and, for an extra fee, the entire fourth floor of the hotel can be booked for security or for one’s entourage.

“It’s not about the immediate wow factor when you walk in,” says Fu of his design for the Opus Suite. “It’s more about a deeper sense of the experience, an emotional connection, something that comes from within.” The idea was to create a suite that felt more like a very nice apartment than a hotel room. There is a large living space that is divided into smaller, more intimate areas, a dining room that can seat 10 and a state-of-the-art Poggenpohl kitchen that can be put to use by the hotel’s two Michelin-starred chefs, Marcus Wareing and Pierre Koffmann, to prepare dinner in the suite.

“Fundamentally, I think London has two main offerings in terms of suites,” says Fu. “One is the very opulent, decadent and classical style of suite typically with period furniture; and then the other type is a very sleek and very minimal type of suite that is not always very comfortable. I wanted to create something more residential. I think of this suite as very architectural and proportionally very masculine, but the way we have broken the space up and used soft furnishings and fabrics and bespoke lighting breaks down that masculinity and gives it a much softer and more elegant appeal.”
The Details: The Berkeley. Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7RL. [phone]. the-berkeley.co.uk

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Here at WISH we’re always on the lookout for the elusive, perfect carry-on bag, one that cannot only be used for travelling but also when you get to your destination. And we think we might have found it with this coated canvas bag from Japanese brand Porter Yoshida Kaban. The bag has a capacity of about 38.5 litres, which means you can fit plenty in it. If, like us, you sometimes have trouble finding things in such a spacious carrier then you’ll be pleased to know it comes with its own detachable Maglite torch. The bag is made from canvas that has been treated so that it’s resistant to heat, friction, rips and wet weather. All of Porter Yoshida Kaban’s bags are handmade in Japan. This tote is part of a range of Porter Yoshida Kaban luggage items is available through Mr Porter. RRP £304.17 ($563). mrporter.com

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