0:00:03 > 0:00:04Oh, this is lovely.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09All I want to do here is nothing.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17In the Thirties, the hotels of Mayfair offered decadent luxury
0:00:17 > 0:00:21to the rich, the royal, and for the first time, the famous.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Claridge's was one of THE places to go
0:00:24 > 0:00:28for the ultimate Art Deco experience.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36We're on our way to Claridge's,
0:00:36 > 0:00:41which, by some amazing good fortune, I'm going to visit and stay in
0:00:41 > 0:00:47and it was one of the original luxury hotels in the world.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50And it still retains that status now.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53I can't wait to see it. I've never been there,
0:00:53 > 0:00:55I have no idea what it looks like,
0:00:55 > 0:00:58but it is apparently an Art Deco gem.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05Staying at Claridge's can cost anything up to six grand.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09It's rumoured that everyone from Audrey Hepburn to George Clooney
0:01:09 > 0:01:12to Kate Moss have been guests.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Oh, I think we're nearly there.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Ah, here we are.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Wow!
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Well, it's all they say it is. Well, at least from the outside.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Just have to kick my way through real celebs.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35- Good morning, sir.- Oh, good morning.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39- Thank you very much.- You're welcome. - That's lovely.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44I'm checking in for a night.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49It's rare for Claridge's to let cameras in, so we've agreed to observe their rules
0:01:49 > 0:01:52to protect the privacy of their guests.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55A man who has spent three decades
0:01:55 > 0:01:59in the Claridge's uniform knows more than most about the hotel.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05It's sensational. It's almost like a living museum.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09It goes back to the period of the Twenties when literally half
0:02:09 > 0:02:14of the hotel is of that period, the Art Deco period,
0:02:14 > 0:02:19and from the restaurant to the rooms, we have 203 rooms at the hotel,
0:02:19 > 0:02:21and almost half of them are Art Deco.
0:02:21 > 0:02:26Half of it is Art Deco and people will say, "I want an Art Deco room."
0:02:26 > 0:02:29A lot of them won't stay anywhere else.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32A lot of our regular guests have their favourite suites
0:02:32 > 0:02:34and other guests, they've read about it.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Guests arriving for the first time,
0:02:36 > 0:02:40and they want to stay in an Art Deco suite.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45So, can you tell me which royalty, which celebrities like which room?
0:02:45 > 0:02:49No. What I could say is that we have lots of regular guests
0:02:49 > 0:02:52that enjoy particular rooms, but, you know,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56one of the wonderful things about all of our guests staying here,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00whether they're royalty or just regular people,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03is that they respect our discretion
0:03:03 > 0:03:07and we really value their discretion.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11God, that key's a bit mystifying.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15'Right now, it's time to explore my Art Deco suite.'
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Bloody hell!
0:03:20 > 0:03:23I feel like I could run an economy from here.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Get rid of that.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34Nobody in there, then.
0:03:37 > 0:03:38Oh!
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Oh, yeah, this is great.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Ooh, that's like a Ruhlmann... It's really lovely.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48God, that's fantastic.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52And then these lovely lights.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55It's this whole business of pools of light,
0:03:55 > 0:03:57which you can really see working in here.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01So, that it was important to have
0:04:01 > 0:04:05pale walls, so that all this other stuff...
0:04:05 > 0:04:09It's an early kind of minimalism in a way, this idea of lots of light,
0:04:09 > 0:04:13lots of reflected light, lots of pale colours. Oh, fantastic!
0:04:13 > 0:04:16These little chrome switches here.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Oh, that's it!
0:04:18 > 0:04:19Lights.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24This is lovely. It's slightly low for me,
0:04:24 > 0:04:31but what used to be called a vanity unit, but very elegant.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Rather too much of me in the mirror, but fantastic and gentle and flattering light.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Bare bulbs in chrome tubes.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41I think they were still thrilled by electricity,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44so the bare bulbs not really a problem for them,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47whereas now we would think it's a bit unfinished.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Oh, that's the business.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Oh, that's great!
0:04:55 > 0:04:57What is that, waste?
0:05:01 > 0:05:03Quite like Niagara.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08Isn't that lovely? You can have a sort of...
0:05:09 > 0:05:13You can get wet in thousands of different ways, but in a Thirties style.
0:05:17 > 0:05:18This stuff is lovely.
0:05:20 > 0:05:21Vitrolite.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25You know, they couldn't make this until they invented
0:05:25 > 0:05:29continuous plate glass and it was invented by Henry Ford,
0:05:29 > 0:05:32so we have Ford to thank for this.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Well, I was prepared to be underwhelmed by this hotel,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41but actually it's fantastic.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45Oh, look at that nice detail, the chrome hinge. Ooh, yes.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55It puts you in a very "up" mood and I'm sure that was the purpose.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00It was light, enjoyable, frivolous, kind of modern rococo,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03and it just makes you
0:06:03 > 0:06:06want to do something illegal.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11'Just as I'm settling into the suite,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15'the hotel surprises me with yet another luxury.'
0:06:15 > 0:06:16KNOCKING
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Good afternoon, butlers.
0:06:18 > 0:06:19Oh, hello.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21- Good afternoon, Mr Heathcote. - Hi, there.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23- How are you? I'm Ian, one of the butler team.- Oh, right.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25I wasn't expecting a butler.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29Well, I know what you do in a hotel room, but what does a butler do in a hotel room?
0:06:29 > 0:06:33Well, for example, at Claridge's, I see you've got your there bag there,
0:06:33 > 0:06:37we would take that through to the bedroom for you and offer to unpack it for you.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40We coordinate the whole visit for you, so once you meet us
0:06:40 > 0:06:44we should then take care of the rest of your stay, whether it be an aspect
0:06:44 > 0:06:46of concierge, booking a dinner reservation,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49organising a party within the suite, any food, beverage,
0:06:49 > 0:06:55basically, anything that you require for your visit to make it the most comfortable stay that you can get.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59That's wonderful. Well, yes, I'd love it unpacking and I think I've got
0:06:59 > 0:07:04- a dressing gown that's a bit crumpled and two shirts that need an iron.- OK, well, I can organise that.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06What time would you like them back by?
0:07:06 > 0:07:08I don't think I need the shirts till tomorrow,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10but I might need the dressing gown this evening.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- We'll make sure they're pressed and hung up in your wardrobe. - Fantastic.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17I love this bedroom.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23- Would you like me to hang that up for you, sir?- Oh, yes, yes. Thanks.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25That's great.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Did you have a long journey today, sir?
0:07:32 > 0:07:33Oh, no, not far, really.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37- I live in the South, so it's OK.- OK.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41I think they need destroying.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Do you have any preferences with regards to your shirts?
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Do you like them hung or folded?
0:07:46 > 0:07:49- Folded I think, yes.- Folded.- Yeah.
0:07:51 > 0:07:52Oh, thanks.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59It's a very strange experience having your baggage unpacked for you,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01but nice.
0:08:03 > 0:08:04Thank you.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10There are moments when you feel ashamed of your own luggage.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15I think my wife folded that one,
0:08:15 > 0:08:19- and the previous one was one of my own efforts.- OK.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24What's the largest number of items of luggage you've had to deal with?
0:08:24 > 0:08:28The largest ever was approximately 60.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30- 60...- 60 suitcases?
0:08:30 > 0:08:3260 suitcases.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Some people, like, for example, within the hotel we actually have
0:08:35 > 0:08:39some guests that we hold about 20 to 30 trunks downstairs,
0:08:39 > 0:08:42which is very similar to back in the '30s or '40s.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45'What about bringing your own servants?'
0:08:45 > 0:08:50You look at the 1930s and then look at say the current day,
0:08:50 > 0:08:54so what was a servant in those days is your make-up artist these days,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57the stylist, the PA.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00So, it's just a new way and a new style in terms of...
0:09:00 > 0:09:02I see, yes. I understand, yes.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07- So, they've continued with the tradition, but it's just evolved in terms of...- An entourage.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09- ..the roles...- And the staff. - Exactly.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12And do they have rooms nearby the suites or are they in a...
0:09:12 > 0:09:15Again, we're very fortunate in Claridge's in that with all
0:09:15 > 0:09:20the corridors you can actually extend ten rooms one way and four rooms...
0:09:20 > 0:09:24- Ah!- So, in total you can actually have 14 rooms connected,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26whereby you actually have an internal corridor.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28And you could do that with this suite?
0:09:28 > 0:09:29- This suite, as well.- Fantastic.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Claridge's was originally a Victorian hotel
0:09:35 > 0:09:37owned by the legendary D'Oyly Carte family
0:09:37 > 0:09:41who, when they weren't staging Gilbert and Sullivan musicals,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44were taking their cue for hotel modernisation from Paris,
0:09:44 > 0:09:48the birthplace of Art Deco in the 1920s.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51What you can really clearly see here is that
0:09:51 > 0:09:54basically the building's from the late 19th century,
0:09:54 > 0:09:58but the very entrance, this was the first bit they made Art Deco.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02What's interesting about it is these urns with pastel painted
0:10:02 > 0:10:07flowers over the top are very much in this early French Art Deco style.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11Soft colours, big exaggerated flowers.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Very, very kind of gay, in an old-fashioned sense.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19Silver windows instead of white windows, metallic, shiny, very Deco.
0:10:19 > 0:10:24But if you look further along the street down here...
0:10:24 > 0:10:26the ballroom...
0:10:26 > 0:10:30and the building above it are pure early 1930s.
0:10:30 > 0:10:35This was the second phase of the Art Deco work at Claridge's
0:10:35 > 0:10:37and it's a rather strict building,
0:10:37 > 0:10:39but around the door there are the details you need.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41This is one of the features of Art Deco buildings,
0:10:41 > 0:10:45that the only made them Art Deco where it was needed.
0:10:45 > 0:10:46It wasn't an all over style,
0:10:46 > 0:10:50it was a decorative surface style predominantly.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53So, really,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56you don't get a sense of the whole building. This is the other thing
0:10:56 > 0:10:59about Art Deco, it really is about entrances and interiors,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01not so much about exteriors.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08The thing about this door, is there's no paparazzi, no people can get in and out.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11You can see the building as it's supposed to be seen,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14and just polishing the steel makes the thing look modern.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16This very simple classical device
0:11:16 > 0:11:19when repeated endlessly in a vertical way,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21and the fact that the doors fold back
0:11:21 > 0:11:25and you've got these lovely, very polished marble entrance mouldings,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28gives the whole thing a contemporary look,
0:11:28 > 0:11:32which you just wouldn't get in earlier buildings,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35which, if you look across the street, are all white stone and red brick.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37So, this really spoke about the now.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45There were no British gurus of Art Deco,
0:11:45 > 0:11:50so the D'Oyly Carte family brought in society designer Basil Ionides,
0:11:50 > 0:11:52and Lalique to do the glass.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57The man whose responsibility it is to maintain Claridge's look
0:11:57 > 0:12:00is interior design expert Guy Oliver.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11So, how do you refurbish those amazing metal doors?
0:12:11 > 0:12:15Well, initially we looked at re-nickel plating all of them
0:12:15 > 0:12:18and we spoke to a firm in Birmingham that had to reopen,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21potentially, would have had to reopen to do the work.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24And they needed to have these enormous metal baths
0:12:24 > 0:12:27to have an electronic process to plate the doors.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30The end, the end cost of replacing all the metal in this hotel
0:12:30 > 0:12:32was going to come in at almost £4 million,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35so that was obviously unacceptable.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38So, what's happened recently is that the doors at the front
0:12:38 > 0:12:41were leafed in palladium and that'll give
0:12:41 > 0:12:43a certain medium-term life to it,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46and also renew the effect and give the sort of glamour.
0:12:46 > 0:12:52There are no celebs around, so Claridge's has let us into the bar,
0:12:52 > 0:12:57created in 1928, and supplied us with some tasty morsels.
0:12:57 > 0:13:02In the 1920s after the First World War there was this sort of rush to
0:13:02 > 0:13:06have excitement and have some sort of more glamorous life
0:13:06 > 0:13:09and Claridge's became a focus for that.
0:13:09 > 0:13:10Well, you also get the feeling that
0:13:10 > 0:13:14this whole Art Deco section of the building was kind of like
0:13:14 > 0:13:17a club for the young people who had stopped, you know, renting houses
0:13:17 > 0:13:21- and...- Exactly.- It was more like a social centre for the very rich.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26You had this stage where rich people were moving out of their town houses in London and moving into apartments,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30so they needed a focus of where they could entertain and play
0:13:30 > 0:13:32and Claridge's provided that function.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35It's in a great location, the middle of Mayfair, so next to
0:13:35 > 0:13:40all those sort of serviced apartments and new buildings that were put up in the 1920s and 1930s,
0:13:40 > 0:13:45and the bar became a focal point for society.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49Some of the Guy's best finds were found in the Claridge's skip.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52I mean, this is just wonderful.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54I mean, it's in fantastic condition.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Well, it was found in a box in the skip at the back of the hotel.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59So, they just junk stuff?
0:13:59 > 0:14:03I think the reason why this was thrown away was because it's actually a vulture,
0:14:03 > 0:14:07and I don't think it's sort of something that guests would like to look at
0:14:07 > 0:14:11in their bathroom or bedroom, so it's not very romantic. It looks very Deco.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16It's got fantastic detailing on it, but it's not a particularly nice thing to have in your room.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20Yet, it's a real pleasure meeting him because you feel that this is an ongoing craft.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22I like to think that I'm part of the building.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25It's been something that's been handed to me.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27My tutor worked and designed here,
0:14:27 > 0:14:31and I'm sure someone will come on after me and take on that mantle.
0:14:34 > 0:14:40I'm being escorted up to take a look at the ultra luxe penthouse suite.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44- So, your own private stairwell up to your suite.- Yes, it's very discreet.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46You wouldn't know it was up here, would you?
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- And then just through to the Brooke Penthouse.- Mirrored doors, yes.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53OK? So, just through this way, Mr Heathcote.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57This is the Brooke Penthouse, which is an Art Deco designed suite
0:14:57 > 0:14:59by a designer called Veere Grenney.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02We can accommodate, at the moment, up to six,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05but if you'd like to extend, we can also increase that to 12.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09- 12, Not bad.- If you'd like to invite perhaps some friends or family around.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Also, just over there we have a private bar fully stocked,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16but again if there's any particular drinks that you have or preferences,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19do inform us and we'll make sure that it's put straightaway into...
0:15:19 > 0:15:22- Can you have staff to... - Absolutely.- ..administer the drinks.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27- Oh, great.- So, if you like cocktails or anything like that, we'll organise that for you.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29OK, if you'd like to just go through.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Oh, this is lovely.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35OK, so, south-facing views.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39You have the Houses of Parliament directly southwest.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41London Eye.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44It's like a little toy town down here. It doesn't even look real.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49It's like olde worlde Dickensian London down there.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59In the 1930s, smoking was so popular,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Claridge's built a room called a fumoir dedicated to it.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06'And for the first time the ladies joined in.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09'Decorative arts expert Judith Miller filled me in.'
0:16:09 > 0:16:12I think we should have a cocktail really to celebrate the room.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Churlish not to.
0:16:30 > 0:16:31Enjoy.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34- Cheers.- Cheers.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Well, we certainly have all the smoking accessories here.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42Well, I wanted to find out from you all about the way of smoking.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44The way of smoking,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47this whole etiquette of smoking.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50I mean, the great thing is when you think about it, I mean, you know,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54the whole war, women's emancipation, women actually starting to
0:16:54 > 0:16:57come out and drink and smoke, but very elegantly.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01It was part of the whole ethos, that whole fantastic elegant moment
0:17:01 > 0:17:05where women could come out and it was. We see photographs
0:17:05 > 0:17:09all round here of women being amazingly attractive smoking.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13It was sold as, "You're emancipated, you could do what you like."
0:17:13 > 0:17:18I mean, this wonderful cigarette holder here, with the Sphinx on it,
0:17:18 > 0:17:22very topical in the 1920s, you know, all the Tutankhamun's tomb.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26This woman was showing that not only was she sophisticated,
0:17:26 > 0:17:29sitting in a wonderful hotel like Claridge's, smoking,
0:17:29 > 0:17:31but she knew all about the new discoveries.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35That was the exciting thing about Art Deco, all these different things coming in.
0:17:35 > 0:17:40I always wondered if the cigarette devices were like replacing the fan as a kind of method of flirtation.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44You know, lots of lighting of cigarettes and things like that.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49I think that's absolutely right. You can imagine in here, in the darkened cigar room, sitting with
0:17:49 > 0:17:53your wonderful cigarette and actually made up, looking very stylish.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56These packets, I like the idea that they flipped open and I could
0:17:56 > 0:18:00proffer you a cigarette, and you would take one and I would light it.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03And even with this, this tabletop thing, I can go one better.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06I can offer you 20 cigarettes.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09So, over here we've got a smoking stand, which
0:18:09 > 0:18:14I don't really understand how to use it, but I understand you have one, so maybe you could tell me.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17I do. I have one at home. This is very typical, the chrome and black.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Very classic Art Deco.
0:18:19 > 0:18:24There are many of these stands around and it just was because it was so popular, everyone did it.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28The whole idea of cigarettes too, it was very important to put your cigarette down,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32- and then to pick it up again. It was very much part of the style. - Oh, right. Yeah.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35But, no, I think this would have been a very exciting place to come.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39If we'd walked in here and ordered our cocktail in 1925,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42I think we would have been, you know, cutting edge,
0:18:42 > 0:18:45we would have been right at the showing of this style.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47- So, cheers.- Cheers.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01Do you know, there's a particularly sumptuous feature of this bath, which is these two pulls here.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05One of them brings the valet and the other brings the maid.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08I'm not sure if I dare pull the maid one.
0:19:08 > 0:19:14The valet would bring me a drink or a ham sandwich or some other toothsome morsel I might want,
0:19:14 > 0:19:18and the idea of just being able to lie in this vast volume of hot water
0:19:18 > 0:19:22ordering stuff from the bath is impossibly luxurious.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25And, actually, as usual with a book in the bath, it's a total waste
0:19:25 > 0:19:29of time because I have not even the slightest interest in reading it.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32All I want to do here is nothing.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36HE SIGHS
0:19:38 > 0:19:41And so to bed.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45I'm up early for a viewing of the famous Art Deco foyer.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49I set my alarm for breakfast as I couldn't do it on an empty stomach, could I?
0:19:53 > 0:19:56- Hi, there.- How are you, sir?
0:19:56 > 0:19:58I've been better.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00- Where would you like this? - Just here, that's fine.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03- Thank you very much.- Yeah.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Do people often do this, have breakfast in their room?
0:20:06 > 0:20:08- Yes, quite often, yes.- Yeah.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12- Almost every day.- Almost every day.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Yes.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Sir, would you like first the porridge or the...
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Porridge, please, yes.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21There's the porridge for you, sir.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24- Thank you.- Thank you very much. This is the kipper, sir.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28- That's lovely. So that's? - Butter and some lemon in the basket.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30- Oh, that's the butter. Wow! - Thank you very much.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Enjoy breakfast, sir, and have a nice day.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34- Thank you very much. Thank you very much.- Bye.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38When I ordered this yesterday, I didn't realise I'd be eating it
0:20:38 > 0:20:42very, very early in the morning and I must say that porridge and kippers
0:20:42 > 0:20:45is a little challenging before eight, but I'll give it a go.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52It's very good porridge. It's all right.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00But I can tell you that this bed and this room...
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Well, the bed welcomes you into the arms of Morpheus.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06You really sleep fantastic in here,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09and it's very, very quiet
0:21:09 > 0:21:11considering we're right in the centre of London.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13You can't hear the air conditioning.
0:21:13 > 0:21:19It's what you'd hope you'd get in a very, very expensive room.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Back to the porridge.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37It's five o'clock in the morning and it's the only time we can
0:21:37 > 0:21:41get in here and have a look round without it being full of people,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44and we wouldn't have to interfere with their food, drinks,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47social life, whatever.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Upstairs, as you can see from the balcony there,
0:21:50 > 0:21:55you've really still got this baroque revival interior.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57And there's a lovely bit of plasterwork up there on the ceiling,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01which really takes you back into the 17th century.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04But down here, it's all Art Deco
0:22:04 > 0:22:07and one of the ways they've kind of modulated between
0:22:07 > 0:22:11the baroque revival and Deco is by using silver leaf,
0:22:11 > 0:22:16which immediately transforms them from being, I don't know, signs of
0:22:16 > 0:22:21ancientness to signs of moderness, this silver picked up everywhere.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24It's in the steel, it's in the mirrors, it's in the chrome
0:22:24 > 0:22:27and it says modern, somehow.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Obviously, an important part of a hotel is the atmosphere as
0:22:39 > 0:22:41you come through the door.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46And Ionides, who designed this, was very clever because he lightened up
0:22:46 > 0:22:50this revolving door very smartly by turning it into a tent,
0:22:50 > 0:22:55like a jousting tent, with these concentric metal rings in silver
0:22:55 > 0:22:58rising up to this pinnacle in the middle.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02And by turning it into a tent, he was kind of referring to heraldic things,
0:23:02 > 0:23:06aristocratic things and I think the clientele of the hotel
0:23:06 > 0:23:08would have understood this.
0:23:08 > 0:23:13You can use great slabs of mirror to bounce light around,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16but also to play about with this idea of electric light,
0:23:16 > 0:23:20of brightness, of metallicness, of general shininess,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23because reflected in the mirror
0:23:23 > 0:23:27is, of course, this wonderful Deco chandelier on the roof.
0:23:27 > 0:23:32So, the minute you come into this room you're kind of bathed in light.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35So, this interior plays the game of modernity and classicism,
0:23:35 > 0:23:38which is what early Deco was so good at.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50So, here we are in what is really a 19th century room,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53as you can see from these columns. How do you make it Art Deco?
0:23:53 > 0:23:55Well, mostly it's detailing.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00This banquette, you've got this green leather, a nice Deco colour,
0:24:00 > 0:24:02and then you've got these,
0:24:02 > 0:24:06apparently, the base of the column, in silver leaf. This makes it Deco.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08These little chrome lights,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Decoised, what is really a 19th century piece of furniture.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14On these chairs, of course,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17the fabric covering the tub chair is a nice jazzy green pattern.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21Again, Art Deco. On this cake stand, at the top here,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24you've got a little sun burst, makes it Deco.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26And then on this sugar container
0:24:26 > 0:24:30you've got this little Deco detail, as well.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34So, another way you can transform a Victorian space into a Deco space
0:24:34 > 0:24:38is simply by covering everything in glass and mirrors and silver.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42So, this pilaster, which in a Victorian scheme would be
0:24:42 > 0:24:46marble painted, I guess, you plonk on these great mirrors
0:24:46 > 0:24:48and then stick an uplighter at the top of it.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52And then even this fleur-de-lys, simply by making it silver,
0:24:52 > 0:24:53makes it modern.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57And when you look at these doorways, you can see they're Victorian.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02These arches with the keystone at the top are a really typical Victorian feature, you'll even
0:25:02 > 0:25:06see them in every terraced house, but the door underneath it,
0:25:06 > 0:25:07now this is really Deco.
0:25:07 > 0:25:13Because you've got this smoky glass and in front of it
0:25:13 > 0:25:17is silvered steel, and these things, they're only sort of just hung on.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20They're really insubstantial.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Just little bits of tin.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25But this kind of window dressing transforms the whole space into
0:25:25 > 0:25:29a kind of cross between modernity and the Regency.
0:25:29 > 0:25:34And this was one of the great criticisms of Deco, that people felt it was kind of flimflam, not really
0:25:34 > 0:25:40substantial, but when you're in this room what you don't feel is you're in some stuffy Victorian space.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44You feel you're in a very exciting, very 20th century space.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Just by having these simple curves
0:25:53 > 0:25:55going this way and curves going this way,
0:25:55 > 0:26:00you get the sense that it's a kind of dynamic jazz floor.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03It's very, very simple and fantastically effective.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27Ballrooms always look fantastic empty,
0:26:27 > 0:26:29almost better than with people.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35Back in the Thirties, ballrooms like this had replaced the grand houses
0:26:35 > 0:26:41of Mayfair as the social centre of London, so anyone who was anyone
0:26:41 > 0:26:44would have met in this space at sometime.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49But, also, people were quite as capable of being playful and stupid
0:26:49 > 0:26:54in here as they had been in houses, and I understand that people actually played cricket in here.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57It must have been quite a sight to see.
0:27:04 > 0:27:10But even in this ballroom, the roof has been given an Art Deco treatment
0:27:10 > 0:27:14by putting this cornicing, which makes the roof seem like it's
0:27:14 > 0:27:17floating rather than coming out of the walls.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20Oh!
0:27:20 > 0:27:22Through there is the ballroom door
0:27:22 > 0:27:26and it just makes sense of this whole space.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29It's a grand entrance to this very grand room.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32It's like a cross between a palace and a nightclub.
0:27:40 > 0:27:46Deco was a style which had no class, no history, no heritage, no culture.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49It was an entirely new modern style,
0:27:49 > 0:27:53so really it emancipated people who came here,
0:27:53 > 0:27:57because to live with Art Deco you didn't need any heritage whatsoever.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59You just needed enough money for the rooms.
0:28:03 > 0:28:08Hollywood legend Spencer Tracy said "Not that I intend to die,
0:28:08 > 0:28:13"but when I do I don't want to go to Heaven, I want to go to Claridge's."
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Deco is about making something fashionable and modern.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22Using shiny new materials, Art Deco give instant gloss to anything,
0:28:22 > 0:28:25even a stuffy Victorian hotel
0:28:25 > 0:28:30and it's been luring in the new aristocracy of celebrity ever since.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:54 > 0:28:56E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk