Asset Strategy 

4SA repositioned the ground-floor reception of this Grade II listed building on Piccadilly, opposite Green Park, drawing on its past life as The Hotel Splendide. The reception desk was moved from the centre of the plan, where the receptionist could not see the entrance, to the front, so staff can greet visitors, manage deliveries and oversee security. Where budget ruled out a new entrance door, 4SA achieved the look of a historic one for a fraction of the cost, adding bronze edging with new draught seals and manifestation lines that replicate the pattern of the building's 1930s doors, obtained from archival photographs. Within the existing footprint, 4SA added a lounge for impromptu meetings, a touch-down zone with cafe tables, and a self-service cafe bar finished in marble to echo the desk. These moves, paired with new fixtures and furnishings, all specified by 4SA, give this tired office lobby the presence of a boutique hotel, and supported the letting of vacant units. 

Heritage Approach 

The reception's significance lies in its ornate plasterwork, coffered ceiling and marble fireplace. The existing lighting worked against all of it: a jumble of colour temperatures with a yellow hue that flattened the features it should have lit. 4SA introduced concealed LED cove lighting, accented with new decorative brass wall and pendant lights. Securing listed building consent came down to careful design of the cable runs: some were chased into plain areas of wall where elaborate plasterwork would not be harmed, while others were concealed behind reversible boxed-out piers and downstands so the original decorative plasterwork behind could survive intact.

Sustainability 

Rather than replace the existing glazed entrance door, 4SA introduced draught seals, cutting heat loss at the entrance and improving comfort for the receptionist without the embodied carbon of a new door. Material choices carried the same thinking, with Cradle to Cradle Bronze certified carpet and FSC certified timber flooring.

Testimonial

"The early visualisations that 4SA prepared of their hospitality design led interior proposals have been a key component in our marketing documentation to show potential incoming tenants of the transformation in store."

Letting Agent