Q&A: River Bespoke reveals its work at The Langham, London

Transforming walls and glass partitions into statement installations, River Bespoke specialises in the design and manufacture of handmade, bespoke shelves.

Crafted from a mild steel frame with an integral floating timber shelf, each individual unit may be clustered together to create a dynamic, functional and eye-catching feature.

The brand recently showed its growing involvement in hospitality projects with the reveal of its work for Palm Court at The Langham, London.

Sleeper caught up with River Bespoke to discover more about its products and how it collaborates with clients to deliver perfect solutions.

What materials do you use for the shelves and how do you source them?

We love the fusion of bringing metal and timber together.

The wood we use is locally sourced and a vast majority is handpicked at the local sawmill. We use only the highest quality timber, ensuring that all of the furniture we create will last for many years.

Fabricated locally, the frames are crafted from mild steel – a material we use for its strength, durability, and versatility.

Another benefit of using steel is its sustainable qualities. The material uses minimal energy in its production, and can be repeatedly recycled.

We offer a variety of finishes for the frames, from powder coating to gilding, as well as a long list of timbers for the shelves, including yew, oak, walnut and cherry.

Our products are designed, sourced and fabricated locally in Norfolk, enabling us to have great control over their quality and finish, all while supporting the local economy.

How do you work with clients to create bespoke work?

We work closely with clients at every stage, from design layout to installation, ensuring that we can materialise their visions and deliver a handcrafted, beautiful feature wall for them.

We have our typical shelf design, however, if a client has other ideas, we work with them to develop designs from simple sketches through to scaled drawings and 3D renders.

We enjoy the challenge that comes with designing furniture, and we utilise our creative skills effectively in order to provide innovative solutions.

What can River Bespoke bring to hotel environments?

As the hospitality industry changes rapidly, hotels are looking for new and creative ways to elevate their spaces. Hotel lobbies are evolving into places in which guests gather to meet, network, work and socialise.

Whether on a solid or glass partition wall, our shelves work perfectly in delineating areas, whilst keeping them open, light and airy. River Bespoke accessorizes and transforms a regular wall into a personalised art-installation.

What was the brief you received from The Langham, London?

We directly approached The Langham as part of a small campaign in which we targeted high-end London hotels in order to take our first steps into the commercial sector.

At our first meeting, we presented sample shelves and they were immediately impressed by the concept and envisaged how a feature wall would work in their Palm Court champagne bar.

The Langham wanted a unique backdrop for the space that would both attract attention and provide much needed storage and display capabilities.

What was the overall effect that River Bespoke brought to the hotel bar?

Palm Court is famed as the birth place of afternoon tea over 150 years ago. It had previously been updated with an elegant design, however the bar area remained dark and didn’t hold the same luxurious feel as the rest of the room.

We worked closely with the hotel to trial different layouts, material choices and finishing touches. With the addition of ambient surround lighting, beautiful textured wallpaper and distressed bronze mirrors, we created a stunning area that fulfils the brief we were set and compliments Palm Court’s luxury design.

What’s next for the brand?

As well as The Langham, we have also been working with another flagship hotel in London. The two projects are very different and address two separate issues, however they share the collective aim of creating beauty from a plain wall or partition.

We are quickly gaining traction with designers and are looking forward to seeing our feature walls in more commercial environments.

www.riverbespoke.com