The Washington Mayfair Hotel

The brief

The Washington Mayfair is a long-established five-star address in one of London's most scrutinised districts, and the brief reflected that. ZEBA was asked to deliver bespoke upholstery, soft furnishings and made-to-measure window treatments across guest rooms, suites and public areas, to a standard that would sit comfortably alongside the building's Georgian architecture. Work in an operating hotel also has to be sequenced around occupancy, so the programme mattered as much as the specification.

Our approach

We worked room type by room type rather than treating the hotel as a single order, so that each space kept the proportions and detailing appropriate to it. Templates were taken on site, then every piece was cut, upholstered and finished in our West Yorkshire studio. Our own team handled delivery and installation, which removes the coordination gap that usually appears between a manufacturer and a third-party fitter, and keeps responsibility for the finish in one place.

Materials and fabrics

Fabrics were specified for a five-star hospitality environment first and appearance second: rub counts and fire performance appropriate to contract use, with a hand and drape that still reads as residential rather than institutional. Curtains were made with hand-sewn headings and weighted hems so they hang correctly in tall Georgian window openings, and headboards were built on frames sized to the existing bed bases rather than to a standard.

The result

The completed rooms hold a consistent level of finish across guest rooms, suites and public areas, with upholstery and window treatments that suit the building rather than fighting it. Because every element was made to measure, the pieces fit the existing architecture without the packing-out and compromise that off-the-shelf furniture usually requires in a period property.