Located in the heart of London’s Knightsbridge, close to the Harrods department store, 41-43 Beaufort Gardens is a new £91 million ultra-prime residential development providing nine lateral apartments with interiors by Parisian designer Pierre Yovanovitch, arranged behind the retained façade of three 19th century townhouses formerly used as a luxury boutique hotel; complete with residents-only health-spa with gymnasium, treatment room and sauna.

The apartment layouts and interior design are by world renowned Paris based designer Pierre Yovanovitch, whose style focuses on balance, comfort and modernity. In 2010, Yovanovitch was the only French designer to appear in the “AD100” ranking of the best interior designers in the world. A.D magazine has commented that: “Yovanovitch has emerged as one of the most in-demand designers in the world. His interiors, which feature an amalgam of subtlety and drama, of elegance and irreverence, represent a new kind of French savoir vivre. ” Yovanovitch has undertaken luxury interior design projects for Pierre Cardin, Hermès, Christian Louboutin and the Hotel Marignan.

41-43 Beaufort Gardens is being launched with two dressed show apartments – a townhouse apartment and first floor lateral apartment – both interior designed by Charu Gandhi, Founder & Director of multi-award winning interior design studio Elicyon. The studio is renowned for designing some of the most prestigious homes in the UK and overseas and their interior design scheme at 41-43 Beaufort Gardens is a celebration of the “lost river of Knightsbridge”. Two other dressed apartments are also completed within the building.

The new development is accessed by an elegant entrance lobby with unique marble flooring designed by Pierre Yovanovitch providing an Art-Deco style chequered pattern of Black Marquinia and White Aristone marble. The lobby has a bespoke reception desk, hotel-style daytime concierge (7am-7pm) and statement full height doorways.

Arranged over eight floors, connected by a residents’ lift, the apartments provide one, two or three bedrooms, up to 4,042 sq.ft. (375.5 sq.m.) in size, some with outside terraces/balconies, and including triplexes and a penthouse on the top two floors with a terrace providing rooftop views of Harrods.

The apartments benefit from large rooms, generous ceiling heights and a bespoke specification, the discreet development offering a new level of design and luxury for 21st century Knightsbridge living.

Highly imaginative and historically rooted, the Elicyon design inspiration for the two dressed show apartments is based on celebrating the “lost river of Knightsbridge”. The approach is an adroit reminder that Knightsbridge was originally a bridge over the River Westbourne guarded by knights, the river now buried and replaced by one of London’s most exclusive addresses.

Using this historic context, ink blue details have been woven into the colour palette throughout both show apartments with the movement of materials also considered and how they could emulate the ebb and flow of water.

The overall aesthetic for the striking dressed living spaces is akin to that of lofty and sophisticated European residences where high ceilings, white stucco frontages and a sensibility of scale between rooms typify design. Influences were drawn from Madrid, Rome and Paris – where drawing rooms play host to lavish entertainment – as well as the deep-rooted history of typical Knightsbridge and Kensington architecture.

The show apartment furniture is elegant and sculptural, to reinforce the symmetry of rooms, whilst the style is pared-back with lots of texture and geometry at play. In the bedrooms stretched expansive headboards are a feature whilst the throws, rugs and abstract artworks throughout the spaces pull the rooms together in a horizontal sweep.

The Italianate style six storey townhouses at 41-43 Beaufort Gardens were originally built by Kensington developer Jeremiah Little in 1861-1870, designed by RIBA architect George Adam Burn (1817-1886), with grand brick facades with stone dressings, large arched windows and pillared entrance porticoes.

Originally a trio of mansions whose first residents were a Viscount, Dowager Duchess and Army General. In 1966 41-42 Beaufort Gardens became the Parkes Hotel, a boutique luxury hotel. In 1984 an adjoining townhouse was incorporated into the hotel creating the 41-43 Beaufort Gardensconfiguration that exists today, with a further permission in 1985 adding a sixth floor, rear extension and linking the interiors behind the retained façade. The hotel closed in 2008 and in 2013 the property was sold for redevelopment.

Now, after a major 24 month construction programme the new luxury development at 41-43 Beaufort Gardens returns the property back to its prestigious residential origins, providing new lateral apartments behind a retained historic façade.

Each apartment has a spacious reception and dining room with a feature fireplace to selected units, elegant paneled walls and bespoke-design parquet flooring in antique-finish Grey Oak. The fully kitted custom-made kitchens by Design Space, in conjunction with Italian artisan-manufacturer Modulnova, have Gaggenau appliances, sleek soft-close drawers and units, marble slab walls and marble Art Deco inspired statement flooring.

The principal bedroom suites have coffered ceilings, recessed bespoke shelving, timber flooring complete with a walk-in dressing room with bespoke joinery and shelving and a main bathroom with bespoke-design flooring in Thala Grey stone and Black Marquina and walls adorned with White Ariston marble.

The duplex penthouse has a large entrance hall with a sweeping curved staircase that connects the floors, with spacious living and entertaining spaces, VIP bedroom suites and a rooftop terrace offering views of the adjacent Harrods cupola and roofscape.

Other apartment features include underfloor heating, bespoke-design architraves, coffered ceilings, coving with LED feature lighting and state-of-the-art Lutron lighting with Fusion/i-pad control.

Benefitting from direct lift access from the apartment floors, the amenity level has a brand-new gymnasium with mirror walls, world-class equipment and free weights, complete with a separate shower/changing room, sauna and spa.

Charu Gandhi, Founder & Director of Elicyon says: “Inspired by the etymology of Knightsbridge and the “lost” Westbourne River, the show apartments at Beaufort Gardens have a design signature focused around ink blue details in the colour palette and finishes that emulate the ebb and flow of water. We have dressed the lofty living spaces with sculptural furniture pieces and abstract artworks whilst ensuring that the quality of the spaces speak for themselves.”

Jeremy Gee, Managing Director of Beauchamp Estates says: “Located in the heart of Knightsbridge the elegant apartments at 41-43 Beaufort Gardens have been designed through a special collaboration with globally renowned Paris based designer Pierre Yovanovitch. With show apartments dressed by Charu Gandhi of design studio Elicyon, the newly launched apartments are available for immediate occupation and provide discerning buyers a not-to-be-repeated opportunity to buy a slice of Knightsbridge history and new homes offering the very best specification and craftsmanship.”

Simon Barry, Head of New Developments at Harrods Estates says: “Situated on the doorstep of Harrods, the world’s most prestigious department store, 41-43 Beaufort Gardens is one of the most exclusive luxury development launches in Prime Central London this year. Behind the heritage façade, the interiors of a former boutique hotel have been completely redeveloped to provide a new collection of unique trophy apartments whose large floorplates have the benefit of being arranged across three Knightsbridge townhouses.”