Long before 9 Conduit Street in London ’s Mayfair neighborhood was sketch—the stylish crown jewel of restaurateur Mourad Mazouz—it was, in turn, the headquarters of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and, later, the London atelier of Christian Dior.
This week, the pedigreed 19th-century townhouse will take a more majestic turn as the temporary home of the second annual Mayfair Flower Show, a friendly (and perhaps slightly more fashionable) nod to Chelsea’s storied floral bonanza , which also opens today.
Collaborating with the French perfumer Diptyque and Pommery champagne, sketch let five of London’s leading florists run wild with ambitious, decadent displays that decked out several corners of the restaurant. Unabashedly fantastical, romantic, and sometimes nearly bombastic, the blooming exhibition will be open to the public daily, offering an unexpected oasis in the center of this bustling city.
The Mayfair Flower Show will run alongside the Chelsea Flower Show from May 17 to May 29 at 9 Conduit Street, London, W1S 2XG. sketch.london
The Land of Nod exhibition by the South London–based Carly Rogers Flowers has seen the façade of No. 9 Conduit Street transformed into a botanical dreamscape with plants and flowers climbing up the exterior walls.
An enchanting floral tunnel at the entrance of sketch is the handiwork of JamJar Flowers , who were inspired by traditional English May Day country fairs.
A luxurious showcase of dusty pink teacup-sized roses that line the stairway and reception area is a homage to the building’s former tenant, the House of Dior, as imagined by florist and designer Tony Marklew .
Sketch’s two-Michelin-starred Lecture Room & Library on the building’s second floor is appropriated by Rebel Rebel ’s An Expedition to the English Garden —a take on an oversize planetarium, filled with traditionally British flora.
Florists Figa & Co have commandeered the futuristic East bar (and the surrounding staircases that lead to the restaurant’s infamous egg-shaped loos), installing a breathtaking, ombré assortment of delphiniums as well as several mossy animal figurines.
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