Strand Palace

Oliver Bernard: partial reconstruction of the foyer of the Strand Palace Hotel, London. Glass, marble, metallic mount and fixtures. 1930-1. V&A: Circ.758-1969. Plate 20.13.

Designed by Oliver P. Bernard. British, 1930. Victoria & Albert Museum.

Few Art Deco buildings were more glamorous than the luxury hotel. In England, Claridges, the Savoy and the brand new Dorchester all had sumptuous Art Deco interiors. But Oliver P. Bernard's designs for the Strand Palace made this one of the most celebrated hotel interiors in London.

Bernard had worked as a set-designer in theatre and opera, in Britain and the USA. This experience clearly influenced his work at the Strand Palace. The foyer combined traditional and new materials and made innovative use of glass and lighting. The walls were clad with pale pink marble and the floor with limestone. The balustrades, columns and door surrounds were made of translucent moulded glass, chromed steel and mirror glass.

Bernard designed interiors for other London hotels and cafés, including the Lyons Corner Houses.

The foyer was removed from the Strand Palace Hotel in 1969 and, for the first time, is partially reconstructed here.

To view the 1930s foyer, click on one of the buttons below.

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