Hotel of the Week: Swanky London Retreat Blends British Charm and French Flair

The exterior of the new London boutique hotel At Sloane. Photo: JACQUES PÉPION

Situated on the corner of a quiet and leafy residential street in London’s Chelsea neighborhood is a new boutique hotel with 30 rooms and suites that pays homage to the splendor of England during Queen Victoria’s reign with a dose of Parisian cool. Located just steps from its eponymous square, At Sloane is a masterful collaboration between French architect and decorator François-Joseph Graf and Jean-Louis Costes, the hotelier behind the legendary Hotel Costes near Place Vendôme. “The purpose of the project was to bring back to life the atmosphere of a Victorian mansion,” says Graf, who has executed gorgeously ornate residential interiors from Paris to Lake Geneva and even creates a limited edition collection of handbags.

Six years in the making, At Sloane welcomes guests through a fully restored façade originally designed by architect Edwin Thomas Hall in 1889. Inside, a soaring, light-flooded restaurant occupies the newly added sixth floor. On the lowest level, a speakeasy-style lounge serves inventive cocktails in a sultry, wood-paneled hideaway.

To realize his unique vision, Graf collaborated with dozens of trusted artisans and craftsmen. “I wanted to recall the eclectic artists of the British Empire who ruled over the world during the Victorian period— from Cairo to Shanghai, Calcutta to Baghdad.”

Each perfectly proportioned jewel-box room features stained-glass windows, antique W.A.S. Benson lights, William Morris wallpaper, custom curtains in fabric by Loro Piana, and handwoven rugs. “Guests should feel as though they are hosted in a British house and feel the unique identity of the place,” says Graf. “In some luxury hotels, you could be anywhere in the world. But here, you could only be in London.”

See more images of the hotel below.