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It feels fitting that the new London store is situated, then, opposite the Royal Academy of Arts, rubbing shoulders with Savile Row tailors. RH has long been a pilgrimage destination for both furniture lovers and those in search of a place that pairs excellent taste with forward-thinking innovation.
The property took three years to develop, stitching together four historic buildings in collaboration with sustainable architecture brand Foster + Partners. Immediately inside the porticoed entrance, guests encounter an architectural design library. Here, bookshelves are adorned with tomes and sculptures showcasing the artists who’ve inspired the world of RH throughout its history, and illustrations of Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man are sprawled across the wall as an homage to RH’s ethos of symmetry and balance. To the right of the lobby lies a wine bar, and to the left, a tea salon, each offering a selection of world-renowned bottles and concoctions to sip before you shop, or while browsing the gallery.
Behind a Wonka-esque glass lift, whisking guests between the five floors, lies a cavernous restaurant. Hoping to become the chicest dining spot in all of Mayfair, this colonnaded space makes a thing of sleek espresso-hued booths, dark panelled walls and seriously impressive chandeliers dangling from oval skylights.
Dining underneath a hand-finished gold-leaf ceiling soaring eight metres overhead, with tiered chandeliers tinkling with hand-blown Venetian glass hanging from circular skylights, you’d be forgiven for forgetting what city, country or century you’re in.
Merging influences from RH galleries all over the world, the menu is a curated affair of Italian, French, Greek and American classics, each with RH twists – avocado carpaccio with caviar inspired by the Paris kitchens, truffle risotto from the Milan launch, wagyu steak with a brown sugar crust from a personal recipe via CEO Friedman.
