Rive Gauche: The View From Here, Winter 2021

In these early weeks of 2022, there’s a new sense of positivity in the air. Central London’s restaurants, theatres and streets are busy again. After two years of what has felt like stalemate for so many people in so many ways, we are all keen now to just get on with our lives. Lockdowns, we hope, will soon be a distant memory.

Covid, and the global supply chain shortages caused by the pandemic and various other factors, has made the job of building, renovating, and designing properties within a specific timeframe a trickier one for everyone. The cost of key building materials, including timber and steel, have soared in the past year, and the shortage of labour has impacted many areas of the industry. Demand is higher than ever too, with so many people using the pandemic as a chance to redesign and upgrade their homes.

But at Rive Gauche, we have pre-empted and bypassed the problems as much as possible by using any waiting time to work on detailed feasibility studies with our clients, to ensure the projects are viable, profitable and successful – and to make sure they come in on deadline and within budget.  

On one high-end penthouse project in London, which includes a spectacular roof terrace overlooking Hyde Park, our thorough early procurement strategy has minimised the effect of Covid delays and unreliable supply chains. Our procurement strategy involved working with local and UK-based craftsman to reduce logistic delays, and work will start on site in February, with the finished result set to be unveiled in 12 months.

Among the beautiful design features in this property are a bespoke stone staircase with walls clad with eglomise mirror, a master bathroom entirely covered in Calacatta marble, including the vanity unit, and a new lift with bespoke interiors. Every piece of furniture has also been designed by Rive Gauche especially for this project.

Also underway in London is a house that is set to be one of the best in the capital, with an end value exceeding £40m. We can’t wait to reveal more, but for now we can announce that we have started the second stage of the project, which includes doubling the property’s size to 11,000 sq ft with a huge basement extension. This incredible extra space will include a spa with a sauna, massage room and gym overlooking the indoor pool. The master suite alone will be 1,700 sq ft, offering the very best in luxury living. And the staff accommodation has been designed so that it does not interfere with the privacy and tranquillity of the main living space, but so that the house can be managed and maintained at any time.   

We are also moving ahead with a project in Chelsea – we’ll be able to reveal more details of this exciting brand partnership soon – and we have started on the design of a 10,000 sqft house on one of central London’s most famous squares.

Our global reach is ever-expanding, too, with projects in the pipeline from Q2 2022 in Switzerland, Monaco, Dubai, New York and Paris.

But we have work to do before then. In the Cote d’Azur and the Caribbean, we are busy with two projects that merge the concepts of boutique luxury hotel and branded residence. In both cases, the feasibility studies are complete and design work will start imminently. Forget five star luxury. These are going to be seven-star experiences in iconic locations, and they will push the boundaries of the concept of luxury. Tranquility, privacy and well-being will combine with the very best of design and services, setting a new benchmark for the next generation.

We are also bringing our French touch to Dubai, where we have met the tight deadline set by our client to do the full design of his family’s incredible 1,200m2 villa, with interiors inspired by Parisian couture and design.

The level of detail in this project is exceptional. The client wanted the pinnacle of luxury design, and we feel confident we will deliver that. We have brought together artisans and materials from all over the world and used more than 400 different finishes throughout the villa. And among the unique pieces are15 sculptural chandeliers, each a unique piece hand-made by craftsmen who have honed artisanal techniques handed down over a century.

Now, armed with all the technical drawings prepared over Christmas, we are eagerly waiting to start on site in the next few weeks. With the client needing to move out while building work is underway, we have been creative with our procurement to keep within a tight timeframe.  

The interior design side of our business is also taking us all over the world, including Asia and Africa. In the last three months, we have seen a huge rise in demand for large-scale hotel and luxury residential design projects. Clients come to us early in the conception of a project, to harness our ability to structure the whole project and our design expertise.

Everyone is hoping for a return to normality this year – and for Rive Gauche, 2022 promises to be a particularly busy and exciting one. You may wonder how we design and deliver all these projects simultaneously. The answer is that at Rive Gauche, we limit the number so that Nicolas and the team can ensure a truly personal and dedicated approach on each and every one.

Our wide range of super-prime projects worldwide is an ever-expanding showcase of what we do best: taking the utmost care in designing some of the world’s greatest hotels and homes, from start to finish.

Do you need a holistic approach for your next project? Contact us now to see if we can help.