Expect Art Deco flourishes and twenty-four-seven services.
Properties at The Capston—the final residential phase of the Embassy Gardens masterplan in Nine Elms, London—are now on sale: and the team behind their elegant Art Deco design, Bryan O’Sullivan Studio, have elevated the prime riverside London development to impressive new heights.
The studio will be familiar to readers of Robb Report Monaco & Côte d’Azur who have visited the Maybourne Riviera. This project, though—a collaboration with Ballymore and Penta Real Estate—opens up the opportunity to live with, rather than merely stay in, his warm, softly sophisticated aesthetics, in what is one of London’s most ambitious regeneration districts, neighbouring Battersea Power Station and within easy reach of Chelsea and Belgravia.
Once an industrial estate, Nine Elms has been subject to a regeneration pioneered by Ballymore. The delivery of their masterplan has transformed the area into a new riverside cultural district. The Capston is at the apex of this ambitious and immaculately executed project, which has included the relocation of the US embassy. In the form of Bryan O’Sullivan Studios, an equally visionary designer has been brought on board to imbue the residences and their statement amenity spaces with the very best art, craft and design—all personal passions of Ballymore’s Founder, Chairman and CEO Sean Mulryan.
In collaboration with the studio, artisans have been commissioned to create bespoke stained glass, marquetry, plasterwork, ceramics and joinery, bringing unique and refined character to the 24/7-serviced residences. The newly launched on-site Sales Gallery and one bedroom show residence offer an opportunity to experience this elevated environment, recreating a residence and shared spaces including foyer, library and drawing room.
Entering the burr-panelled foyer, you get the immediate impression that life at The Capston is set to be extraordinary, inspiring and supremely comfortable. A Belgian fossil-stone fireplace, polished plaster walls with a hand-drawn floral frieze by Fine Art Mouldings, along with a timber-marquetry bar in the Drawing Room, set the tone and inform the more intuitive visitor that this is a unique, soulful space for reflection and entertaining. A bespoke stained-glass dome by CWS Design is another nod to the Art Deco influences, and filters soft colour and light into the space.
Other stand-out flourishes include a sculptural niche framing a ceramic console by Fabienne L’Hostis. The celebrated Raku specialist, based on the French Riviera, has also designed a ceramic fireplace for the library, which stands elegantly beneath a hand-drawn ceiling mural by artist Sam Wood and alongside American walnut panelling, a bespoke rug and more Bryan O’Sullivan Collection furniture.
The accompanying show apartment offers a more domestic expression of The Capston’s material-led and exquisitely crafted design language, simultaneously encouraging rest, refreshment and the urge to entertain. Oak-veneer cabinetry with Calacatta Viola marble worktops are found in the kitchen, while a truly show-stopping brass-rimmed, painted vellum (and therefore vegan-friendly) panelled custom-designed bar serves an open-plan living space leading onto a private terrace. The bedroom and bathroom showcase bespoke joinery, marble framed tiles, and the chance to get hands on with the exceptional materials and ironmongery which elevate every space.
“I’ve been enjoying and collecting art for the greater part of my life,” says Mulryan. “Over time it has proved to be a great source of inspiration and joy, and I have always wanted the residents at our developments to experience the benefits that art brings. In collaboration with Bryan O’Sullivan Studio, at The Capston, we have been able to commission and curate pieces by today’s leading artists, artisans and designers, placing their work unreservedly at the centre of the building.”
The development also boasts a Japanese-inspired garden, twenty-four-seven concierge service and a supremely elegant and cutting-edge wellness facility featuring a 25 metre hydro pool, gym with private training rooms, sauna and cold plunge.
The Capston is due to complete in 2028. — From £750,000 to £7 million. thecapston.com
