Sanderson's indoor/outdoor lobby is a layered and sophisticated environment that is totally original. Surrounding an extraordinary landmark Courtyard Garden designed by Philip Hicks, Starck's visionary style mixes baroque and modern, juxtaposing Salvador Dali's curvaceous red lips sofa with classic 60s mosaics and hand-carved African furniture with an oversized Louis XV armoire. The result blends wit, magic and surprise in an elegant balancing act of extravagance and pure simplicity.
A lavish "Urban Spa" in the heart of London's West End, Sanderson offers a retreat from the bustle of the city into a world of fantasy and wellbeing. The landmarked 50s building has been transformed by Philippe Starck into a surreal Cocteau-like dream world, epitomizing a "new luxury" that is smart, pared down, and tempered with a healthy dose of wit and irony. With the absence of normal walls and a floor-to-ceiling glass facade that diffuses natural light through flowing layers of ethereal sheer curtains.
Retreat to the private Courtyard Garden, a lush open-air oasis brimming with flowering trees, fountains, mosaics and a reflecting pool. Inspired by Japanese influences, the Courtyard reflects calmness, tranquility and peace. The Garden has a bamboo crescent as a backdrop representing a distant forest, with a giant bonsai tree in front to represent Mount Fuji which is surrounded by box balls, a low cloud.
At some 80-feet in length, Sanderson's dramatic, glowing onyx Long Bar is the focal point for energy at Sanderson. The beauty of Long Bar in London is that anyone can visit at any time, which proves to be rare for such a glamorous and well-known hotel bar. Long Bar is light, white and airy and radiates freshness and cleanliness. Classic and innovative cocktails fill the seasonally changing menu.
The Billiard Room at Sanderson in London has a low-key clubby vibe and features an antique silver-leafed billiard table, whimsical, lodge-like antler furniture and original 1950s stained glass designed by John Piper, one of the most noted British artists of the 20th Century.
A hedonist's delight, the 10,000 square-foot agua spa in London provides pampering, spiritual relief, and tranquility to all who enter. A dazzling array of rejuvenating treatments combining the best of ancient and modern techniques are offered. With its miles of diaphanous white curtains, 14 all-white treatment rooms, chill-out zone and meditation beds, agua has a peaceful, dreamy and almost cloud-like ambiance.
